Ingénue
by Keii-Saru21
Summary: She had deeply wounded many people and convinced herself happiness was unobtainable. So when he began to tug at her heart, she panicked. AU.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto

**I came up with this idea for July's Winter**

* * *

**Prologue**

It was the first month of the year and things were once again straying from their intended course.

Hinata looked at the groceries; she gave a profound sigh and decided it was best to join them on the floor. Was it possible for someone to be so obtuse? She had forgotten her keys at school, and she was too tired to begin the walk back to school. It was almost seven, so Sakura would be home any minute.

Maybe she should text her.

6:50 p.m. Fri, Jan 13. She wasn't superstitious but she had to pin the blame on something other than her improvident mind.

It was date night for Sakura and Naruto, and they were surely to arrive after midnight like they always do. Waiting for Sasuke was a shot in the dark, honestly, what were his hours? So she gathered her belongings and decided to ask the neighbor for help.

She was making her way across the lawn as a car drove into the driveway. Hinata watched as the neighbor got out of her car, her new gigolo for the month ran to aid her without losing a beat.

"Hey Hinata!" The woman almost tripped for waving so hard. "Wanna join us for the night? I'm feeling mighty generous!" teased the woman.

Hinata tightly gripped her purse. "You go ahead and have fun Ms. P," Hinata declined politely. "I will visit some other time."

"Suit yourself."

Hinata slumped herself with the groceries once more, rummaging for something to eat.

This New Year's was definitely starting of bad. Well, at least the world was supposed to end this year, if this year's resolution didn't get a chance to shine in the light, at least she wouldn't have to torment herself with coming up with another worthless resolution.

It was hard to lift her head from the brick wall, her neck was stiff and she had dropped all her cookies on the concrete floor, giving the ants the banquet of a lifetime. Startled, Hinata grabbed her purse and made sure her belongings were still in place, and had not been stolen while she had dosed off.

Everything was in place, including her keys. Hinata wanted to bang her head on the wall. She had checked her purse five times and had failed to see her keys. She decided it would be to her advantage to put her loose key in a colorful key chain so she wouldn't miss them again.

Hinata opened the door, and walked to the kitchen to put her stuff away. She almost got a heart attack when she spotted Sasuke making a sandwich in the kitchen.

"I'm home." mumbled Hinata to herself and out of respect.

Sasuke looked at her, almost as if he wanted to say something, but Hinata knew what it was.

"I thought I had lost my keys and I didn't know you were here."

"Where are Sakura and Naruto?"

Hinata threw the bags in the recycle bin. "It's date night."

Sasuke glanced at the calendar on the fridge. "Right." It was every other Friday.

"I got some juice; please feel free to get some." Hinata excused herself and headed to her room. The cookies had made her feel sick.

She discarded her blouse and pencil skirt, wishing the students had been more decent with their wardrobe choice, it wouldn't have made Tsunade enforce a dress code for students and teachers alike. Fortunately, wearing heels wasn't mandatory, otherwise walking to and from school would have been more of a hassle. She could have avoided all this if she had taken better care of her car. The battery was completely dead and the mechanics told her it would take three days for the battery to arrive, but it has been two weeks and so far nothing. She would have to go tomorrow.

Hinata looked at her empty schedule for the weekend. Maybe she was finally ready to get a boyfriend. Sakura and Naruto were going out, and if she recalled correctly Sakura had told her Sasuke was seeing someone. That only left her, and she would feel bad whenever Sakura cancelled plans with Naruto just to spend the weekend with her. She definitely felt like a third wheeler.

The four of them were living together. Fresh out of college, Naruto and Sasuke found the house and began to rent it. Later Naruto told Sakura about it and Sakura talked to her about it, stating she didn't want to be the only girl in the house. Hinata saw no problem with it, there was a school where she could apply for a job and it was near. She didn't see any reason to deny the offer.

But now all she wanted to do was leave, she felt like she didn't belong. The only reason why Sakura had told her was because Ino and Sakura had cut ties with each other again.

All due to another stupid boy, and in the end neither one ended up with him.

Hinata felt like throwing up. It was best if she took a shower.

She met Sasuke in the hallway and began feeling self-conscious. They have been living under the same roof for a year and a half, and she had never bothered to learn more about him. But did that really matter? She was doing fine without knowing any information, why should she start now?

"Have a good night." and as usual there was no answer. She didn't expect one either, but her parents had thought her manners.

Hinata decided to start doubling her saving so she could find a place of her own.

* * *

**Hello,**Thank you for taking the time to read this. I promise later chapters will be longer.


	2. Rebarbative

**Ingenue 1**

**Rebarbative**

Saturdays was Sakura's day to cook dinner and Hinata's job to mask the strong taste of her healthy ingredients. Hinata altered the soup more than thrice and swore she could still feel the sting of whatever herbal plant Sakura had put, but maybe it was her imagination.

"This is delicious! I always look forward to dinner on the weekends."

"You better like it; it's healthy for you."

Naruto went for seconds, and Hinata worried that Naruto or Sasuke would get the plant in their plate. Sakura was a good cook, but a year ago she found out about medicinal herbs she could use in daily cooking, but the taste wasn't always a success. So Hinata offered her assistance, but made sure to let Sakura have the spotlight.

Sakura turned to her, and her smile beamed with pride. "Hey Hinata, we are all going to this new place that opened so you don't have to cook tomorrow."

"Why don't you come with us?" suggested Naruto.

Hinata thought about it for a moment. "I wouldn't want to impose."

"You won't be. It will only be me, Naruto, Sasuke and his girlfriend I'm sure we can fit you into the reservation."

"Then I would definitely feel like I'm imposing."

Sakura gave that gut wrenching laugh. "Well, if you had a proper boyfriend you wouldn't feel like you are imposing. We could set you up. Let's see, do we know any single people? "

"She already said she doesn't want to come."

Hinata would have thanked Sasuke, but she was aware that was his way of bringing up her lack of response. He had once told her to speak up whenever Sakura and Naruto were backing her up in a corner.

"Well it's settled, she won't be coming." Sakura patted Hinata on the shoulder and turned to Sasuke. "Here let me take that for you."

"I can do it." Sasuke got up and put his dishes in the dishwasher. "Thank You."

"No problem Sasuke. Cooking is my specialty."

* * *

She was drenched.

Under her muddy poncho, her blouse clung uncomfortably to her skin and her favorite shoes were beyond repair. Hinata tried to listen if anybody was home, but the rain was making too much noise. She carefully discarded her poncho, neatly putting it in the corner and tied her dripping hair. It was cold, so she struggled multiple times before opening the door.

This just wasn't her day. She could hear them chatting in the living room and the TV was on, maybe they hadn't heard her arrival. Her slippery stockings prevented her from moving faster, but she was able to reach the stairs, were she collided with Sasuke.

Their eyes met and without thinking Hinata put her finger to her lips. She didn't know why she was asking him to be quiet, it's not like he was going to scream and give her away. Hinata blushed and looked away; she had to get upstairs before...

"Hinata!" Oh no. "I heard the door, why haven't you said...oh my gosh what happened!"

She really didn't have to make a big fuss about it, now Naruto was rushing to the stairs.

"Wow." Was all Naruto could say after seeing her bedraggled form.

Wow was right. Personally she liked the rain and occasionally walking in it when it was drizzling, but it wasn't spring and she hadn't expected this to happen.

"So did it look like it was on purpose?" asked Naruto, pointing to the mud in her hair.

"I don't know."

"You told me you had a ride home!"

"She had to leave due to an emergency and it wasn't raining when I left so I thought it wouldn't hurt to-"

Sakura was so angry she couldn't form any coherent words. Hinata felt like a scolded child and allowed Sakura to continue her scolding because in occasions like this, it was the only way Sakura could express herself.

"I'm going to wash up."

She heard Sakura say something about her never learning.

Hinata stood in front of Saskura's door. She felt bad for making Sakura angry, but she was also worried about the consequences. Whenever Sakura was upset, everyone in the house suffered her wrath, especiually Naruto and Sasuke. Hianta gave a sigh and knocked, it took a while before Sakura let her in.

"I'm sorry, I should have called you."

"I have told you countless times that I am here for you."

There were some things that she couldn't voice. "I understand...Sakura, do you mind taking me to pick up my car, I just received the message."

"You have a terrible mechanic, here," Sakura handed her a card. "This is the one I go to; they are really reliable, you should give them a try."

"Thanks."

She received a suffocating hug from Sakura. "Come on, we wouldn't want what happen today to happen again."

* * *

"We have to keep them wrapped around our finger sweetie." explained Ms. P as she did the motions. "Don't believe everything they say. We are women; we like to be swept of our feet as we are told sweet nothings in our ear. But men are cruel beasts; therefore we must lock our hearts and throw away the key, where not even we can find it."

Ms. P was a kind woman in her early thirties, but hated men with a passion after she found out her husband cheated on her with three other women. Every time Hinata heard the story, her heart would wrench and guilt would kick in.

_"We need men, and men need us, but commitment is nothing but a fantasy that should be nipped at the bud. Love?" _She would always laugh_ "It is a refuse word we use to justify our stupid actions."_

Hinata didn't mind talking to her, but the more they talked, she noticed, the more their thoughts matched. Hinata was afraid that one day, their thoughts would synchronize and she would lose all hope of ever finding love again.

"I would like for you to meet my new gigolo. He's a sweet young man."

"That would be nice."

"Let's see Tomorrow is Friday, come on Sunday after 6." Ms. P paused. "Sweetie, you don't look so well."

So it was obvious. She awoke with a headache and nausea that increased thought out the day. Right now her head was about to explode and her eyes were having a hard time staying open.

"I think I have a fever."

"I saw you walking home all drenched on Tuesday. Well tell you what, we will move the date for next week, so rest up and get better. Dealing with hyper high school kids isn't a walk in the park."

They said their goodbyes and Hinata closed the door. She looked at the stairs and everything seemed so blurry.

She awoke to something cool being placed on her forehead.

"Hey there, you have been out cold since last night. Your body temperature is really high, no thanks to Sasuke. He says he found you passed out on the couch and you kept insisting that you were cold, so he covered you with probably the thickest blanket he could find. I swear, hasn't he learned anything from when I take care of him and Naruto?"

Hinata tried to sit up, but her limbs felt like jelly. Sakura ordered her to rest.

"Don't worry, I changed shifts so I will be taking care of you until one of the boys come from work. I already called the school, so that pompous teacher will have a hard time finding an assistant as good as you."

Hinata was trying to look alert, but only managed to open her eyes into slits. "Thank you." It came out slurred and Hinata couldn't hate herself any more. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, just rest up."

Hinata was in and out of conscience but Sakura assured her the fever would go down in no time and going to the hospital would only give her a high hospital bill. "You have me after all."

She could hear Sakura rushing throughout the house. It seemed that she was running late again. Sakura came in to check her temperature and tell her that Sasuke was home, so if she needed anything to tell him. Before Hinata could ask her to bring her a glass of water, Sakura was out the door.

She really needed water. Her fever had gone down, but her limbs still felt like mush. Maybe she should call out to Sasuke. She opened the door and the air outside her room made her feel refreshed. Maybe she could go down the stairs.

She managed to go down without getting dizzy. Maybe she would be able to get better before Sunday. She filled up her pitcher and placed it on the table. The living room was cool, a complete contrast to how she was feeling. She sat on the leather couch and put her head on the arm rest.

"No, it has to be after nine...because I will be busy until then."

She heard Sasuke's footsteps stop in front of her. He placed his cool hand on her forehead and Hinata leaned into it. When he pulled his hand away, Hinata shifted her head to find a cooler place on the couch.

"If you fall asleep here, Naruto will carry you upstairs again."

Hinata opened her eyes and sat up. "I'll head up stairs in a minute." Right after she gained a little more energy. "My room feels stuffy."

"If your condition worsens, Sakura will be on my back all week."

"She's always the one that looks out for us." It was something that even Sasuke couldn't deny.

The silence was disturbed by Sasuke's phone. "What?"

She could hear Naruto on the other end. It was almost ten at night and he sounded like it was two in the afternoon.

Sasuke put the phone on speaker and placed it on the table so he could properly use the laptop.

"_Hey bastard, I'm going to be arriving late."_

"Why?"

"_I'm in down town" _There was along honk.

"Where did Jiraya trick you into going this time?"

"…_a strip club."_

Hinata wasn't able to hold in her laugh.

"_Hi-Hinata! Sasuke you bastard you have me on speaker. Aw man, I'm on the road right now; I left as soon as I could so don't tell Sakura. Please Hinata; I swear I didn't give out any money!"_ There was another long honk, and Naruto replied with some profanities.

They both knew he was telling the truth. It just proved that even if a naked woman with full assets pole danced to him, his whole being belonged to Sakura. Hinata wished Sakura would understand that.

"Don't worry."

"_It's really rare when you get sick, how are you feeling?"_

"I'm feeling better, thank you for asking."

Hinata gave a profound sigh, and excused herself. She was strong enough to go up the stairs, but the thumping in her head prevented her from reading or doing any grading so she sat by the window. She didn't like it when it was silent and there was nothing to do. Memories sunk in, reminding her of the piling failures. Hinata hugged her knees. The falling rain made her throat feel dry and she remembered the pitcher she had left down stairs

If turning back time was possible, she wouldn't have fallen hopelessly in love, she wouldn't have damaged relationships, she wouldn't have disgraced her father, she wouldn't have felt this hopeless, and she wouldn't have forgotten her pitcher.

Hinata prepared herself for another trip down stairs, but Sasuke had already brought her pitcher. She waited for him at the top of the stairs. "Here."

"Thank you." He had also brought her a spare cup.

"Naruto is bringing Ramen."

"I don't think I will be awake."

Sasuke grabbed the pitcher from her hands. "It's annoying. Why do you insist on avoiding Naruto every chance you get? It hurts him."

That piece of information gave her mixed emotions. "It's because don't want Sakura to feel uncomfortable and doubt Naruto."

"Why would she do that?" he sounded angry.

She didn't have to answer, but it did sound like she was talking bad about his two best friends. Hinata turned the cup over and over. "Well it's because…because Naruto and I dated before they got together."

She wasn't lying, but she didn't have to tell him everything.

* * *

Hello! Thank you for reading and I hope you like it so far.

* * *

**Chapter 2 (Preview)  
**

"_**What is this?"**_

_**She was going to ignore the question, but he looked so serious. "It's a puppy."**_

"_**I. know. It's a dog. What is it doing here?"**_

_**Hinata picked up the puppy and showed it to him. Maybe this was the day she found out if Sasuke had compassion for anything besides his friends. "I found it wondering outside." The puppy seemed to be mesmerized by Sasuke's hair. Things would have gone well if it hadn't begun to bark.**_


	3. Quondam

**Ingénue 2  
**

**Quondam**

Despite being single, Hinata would always make the best out of Valentine's Day and this year she baked cupcakes for the students and spent her evening listening to the neighbor and her karaoke tracks. They treated it as a day where they could get away with going out and having fun without any one questioning them, and afterwards, it would all be over.

But for others, it was a day that was still fresh in their minds even after weeks, months, or until the next Valentine's Day.

Hinata and the students wondered why the usual grumpy teacher was in such high spirits, and got their answer when a large bouquet of flowers was delivered to the room on Valentine's Day. More than a week had gone by and the teacher refused to let her valentine story die down. In conclusion, the teachers had gotten into the habit of talking about past, current and soon to be boyfriends and their experiences.

"And then what happened?"

'He kissed her'

"He kissed me!"

Hinata smiled to herself.

"It's the end of the week; don't you have any plans with him?"

"He wanted to go out, but I told him I would be busy." The teacher kicked a box beside her desk. "He was sweet about it. He told me that he would leave his schedule open in case I changed my mind."

Hinata walked over to the teachers. "I can take care of the journals."

"No. We agreed that you would do the review and I would do the journals."

Love sure made people change, she was never this considerate. "If I grade the journals, I can see what they need help with, so it's no problem."

The teacher complied and called her boyfriend. The teachers were trying to hide their squeals and Hinata felt like she was in high school again. Hinata waited for the teachers to make their leave before lugging the boxes into her car.

"I'm home." Mumbled Hinata, and was startled to see Naruto leaning beside the door.

"So are we." groused Naruto. "How was your day?"

"It was okay, its Friday after all. Where is Sakura?"

"She's in her room. She insisted we stop by the house first before going out, but I have been waiting for an hour already and I don't know what she's doing."

Hinata put the box down. "They are just journals" explained Hinata when Naruto look questioningly at the box. Naruto wanted to say something but turned his head the other way.

"_Take the initiative."_

"Remember how you would always rush ten minutes before class to finish your journal entry. It amazed me how you always finished on time."

Naruto turned to her and smiled. "I work best when I'm being pressured."

"I wish I was like that. I've gotten better about controlling my nerves, but there a few times here and there that they get to me."

Naruto laughed. "I remember you fainted when you introduced yourself to the class."

Hinata blushed at the memory. "Fortunately Sasuke was there to break my fall, unfortunately I spent the rest of the month getting glares from girls. But thanks to that I met you, Sakura, Ino and Shikamaru. I learned a lot from you all."

"Yeah, those were fun times."

Hinata picked up the box and began heading upstairs but Naruto was quick to offer taking a helping hand.

"Sure." She would just get the one that was in the car.

"I'm so sorry!" Sakura came out of her room in a flash and Hinata had to lean against the wall to prevent getting run over by her. "Let's go, let's go, let's go, we are late."

"But I was-"

"Hinata can take the box on her own." She grabbed Naruto's hand and made him step down the stairs. "Right Hinata? You're an independent woman."

"Yeah, don't worry, just go have fun."

"Thanks." Replied Sakura as she led Naruto out the door.

It had been a month since Sasuke made her realize that she had been so caught up in her problems, she had failed to notice Naruto's awkward approach to things that concerned her.

"_You are well aware that the most important thing for Naruto is the relationship with those around him. Even if he only knew you for four years, he appreciated your interest in him. You are a half-baked ungrateful fool."_

The word Stupid would have sufficed, but Sasuke wanted to make it clear that he held remorse for her actions six years ago. She was once again left with a dry throat because Sasuke deemed her unworthy of a drink of water, and took his pitcher of water back down stairs. _"Take the initiative. He'll appreciate it."_

Hinata didn't know if it was the ramen, the atmosphere or her resolve to amend things with Naruto, but she had felt extremely lively after that night.

Hinata went back outside to get the other box and her heart melted upon the sight of a cute husky chasing away some birds. She would have continued to admire his playful nature had it not resorted to digging in the flowerbed. Hinata rushed to stop him and the puppy ran under a bush. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." explained Hinata as she fixed the flowers.

As if understanding, the puppy came out and began to smell Hinata's hand. Hinata grabbed him and placed him on her lap to better inspect its collar. "Husky. So you're a Husky named Husky." The address on the tag wasn't one she recognized. "You must be far from home." The puppy got of her lap and once again began to explore the area.

If she were to leave it, it would most likely get run over or stolen and if she took it inside she might inconvenience the others. She watched the puppy's futile attempts to jump inside the trunk, and decided she would take care of it until she contacted the owner. Besides, she always paid her rent on time.

* * *

Some things just weren't so simple.

It had been a mere half hour and Husky was already causing great damage to her room so Hinata was forced to grade the journals in the back yard so she could properly take care of the hyperactive puppy. She heard the garage door open followed by a door slamming and began to run a million explanations in her head. Husky, on the other hand, was eager to find out who the person roaming in the kitchen was and began pawing the door. Hinata reached over and tried to turn him away. "Can't you see I'm trying to stall?" But like all things in her life, it wasn't going well. Her hand slipped from the chair handle and she tumbled down.

Sasuke stood at the door peering down at her. "What are you doing?"

It was clear that he was in a foul mood. "I had to come outside because-"

Husky wanted to introduce himself and stood in front of Hinata. He seemed to take a quick liking to Sasuke and began circling him. "What is this?"

Surely he knew what kind of animal it was, and she wanted to ignore the question in fear that she would sound flippant, but she wanted to play it safe and keep this irascible man's mood to a minimum. "It's a puppy. His name is Husky. Isn't he cute?" She picked herself up.

"I. Know. It's a dog. What is it doing here?"

Hinata picked up Husky to his eye level so he could stare at the puppy and not her. "I found it wondering outside the house. I called the owner and he said the puppy was stolen from their back yard and is glad I found it. We have set up a meeting place for Sunday morning. I agreed to take care of it until then."

Sasuke sneezed in response.

"I'm so sorry, I dint know you were allergic?" Hinata placed two cups of tea on the table.

"I'm not." He looked at the puppy that kept circling his chair and tried to shoo him away with his foot, but Husky treated it like a game. "Last time you took in some toddlers."

Hinata looked on as the puppy gave baby howls to Sasuke's hair. "The mother was going into labor and had nobody to look after them, so they caught me in the driveway and I couldn't say no." They were the front neighbor's six year old twins.

"I'm sorry." She recalled how Sasuke had to deal with the little clingy girl. Till this day, the little girl blew kisses his way whenever she saw him.

"Would you like some?" Hinata pointed to the plate of rice balls. "They are plain. Husky didn't give me enough time to prepare them properly."

His whole body was facing away from her and under the light of the bright bulb, she was able to spot a scratch on his cheek. It wasn't a big deal, but his fair skin made it stick out like a sore thumb and she couldn't stop staring.

"What."

Hinata pointed to her cheek. "You have a scratch."

He side glanced and gave her one of those indescribable looks. "Women are vicious." He took a bite of his food and Husky barked at him.

"It's in our nature." replied Hinata, reminiscing on her encounters with other vicious women.

"Has he eaten?"

"Yes, I went to the store to buy food and toys for him."

Sasuke grabbed a toy off the table and threw it across the back yard. "Go fetch."

Husky ran towards the toy but was distracted by a bag the wind had carried with it. "Do you like dogs?"

Sasuke gave it some thought. "I prefer cats. They don't need as much attention."

Hinata liked anything that had big eyes and was fluffy enough to be compared to a stuff animal. It wasn't until tenth grade that she got rid of her habit of collecting an unhealthy amount of stuffed animals and donated them to charity. Knowing that children would cherish them eased her heart. Hinata smiled at her one-time childish antic.

It was a cool night, but it was bearable enough to sit there and clear your mind of stressful things. There was a long period of silence among them while she continued her grading and Sasuke followed Husky with his eyes and maintained a pensive countenance. She graded until she ran across a very insulting word sketched on the corner of the page.

"I didn't mean to hurt him," She knew it was random, but she wanted to get her point across. "But I also didn't want to hold him back. I know he didn't date me with false pretenses, but I realized that I had pushed my feelings onto him." Hinata took a deep breath. "I owe a lot to Sakura and didn't want to make her uncomfortable, so I thought that keeping my distance was the best choice. I don't like Naruto in a romantic, and after going through some experiences, I realized I never did. I felt comfortable coming here because my conscious is clear, but I never stopped to think about how Naruto would feel." she picked up the sleepy looking Husky and began to put away the journals. "You are right, I am a fool."

"It was Naruto's idea that you move in with us. Naruto came to talk to me about letting one of his 'friends' move in. Knowing how finicky he is about relationships I agreed. Besides, Sakura had already forced herself in. He was going to personally ask you, but Sakura told him to back off and she mentioned something about it being awkward. Naruto said he saw you enter a motel and refused to let you stay in such a dangerous part of town and Sakura finally gave in and said she would convince you."

"Sakura told me Naruto asked her to move in, and since she didn't want to be the only one-"

"Sakura is a good person, but she tends to be fickle. Don't believe everything she says."

"Well she was able to convince me." Hinata rubbed her eyes. "Now I feel more horrible. I now understand why you dislike me."

"At first I didn't even know who you were or why they had argued about awkward situations. Only months later did it click you were the one he had dated. I don't know how Naruto was able to recognize you with that long hair."

"I'm sorry I caused trouble for Naruto, I promise I won't let him feel guilty anymore."

"He appreciated you because you were the first one that made him feel special."

"In that case, the feeling is mutual."

* * *

Hinata awoke to the sound of baby barking and howling.

"Husky, it's too early." Hinata waited for a response, but her senses had adjusted enough for her to realize the squeaky barking was distant and she had forgotten to close the door when she went to the restroom last night. 'oh no, oh no oh no on no' Hinata pocked her head out and could tell the barking was coming from Sasuke's room. Naruto must have left the door open when he entered to use the bathroom. She quickly washed up, knocked on Sasuke's door and awaited her doom.

Her apology stuck at her throat when she saw Sasuke and the state of his hair. She had never seen his bed head, and she had to admit it was worse than Naruto's. She now understood Husky; even she wanted to howl at it but instead covered her mouth and tried to keep her laughter in while apologizing for the inconvenience. She knew she looked silly, but her good mood prevented her from caring. Sasuke handed her the rowdy puppy and placed what used to be her work shoes on top of him.

"He brought those with him."

* * *

"Sasuke!" Sakura rushed past the living room and into the kitchen. "Is Sasuke home?"

"No." was Hinatas startled response. "Whats wrong?"

"Whats wrong is that his stupid girlfriend keeps harassing me at work. I swear that woman with the freakish red hair is so urgh!"

"Your hair color isn't that normal either." Sasuke undid his tie and reached past Sakura to grab a cup.

"Tell her to back off or I will take drastic measures to get her out of there."

"If it is about work, you talk to her."

Sasuke headed upstairs and Sakura followed him, complaining that it was his girlfriend's fault that she was unable to relax at work. Hinata ignored all the commotion and continued eating her cinnamon roll. She was alarmed by a thrashing upstairs and knew that Sakura had resorted to throwing things, so when the doorbell rang, she gave Sasuke the opportunity to escape Sakura's lecture or whatever it may be.

"Is my sweetie here?" The voice was raspy, but Hinata was able to identify it as the neighbors and went to the door.

"Good evening." Hinata tried not to gasp upon seeing her.

"He bribed my lawyer; he and his woman might get the house"

She wasn't wearing her usual make up and the little attempt to look presentable had been washed by her tears. Her strained smile made Hinata reach out and hug the older woman. "Let's go out and eat. My treat." Hinata faced the woman again. "Come in, I won't be long."

"I'll wait here."

"It's cold outside." Hinata forgot Sasuke was there.

The frail lady gave him a weak smile. "How considerate, but I will wait right here. I need the fresh air."

Hinata washed her plate and rushed upstairs to get her purse and a change clothes.

"Where do you think you are going? That woman is a bad influence." explained Sakura.

"Please don't worry. I will be back by Sunday." Flashes of her own experience made her fear for the woman. "I just don't want to leave her alone."

"Whatever."

Hinata was alarmed by Sakura's attitude, but tending to the broken woman was her priority right now. Sasuke was nowhere in sight but had left the door open in case the neighbor changed her mind. Hinata took the woman to her favorite restaurant and made her eat something because she knew the coming days would not be easy for her.

"He came by with her during the day and stated that the house would be his. Through the whole conversation, it was difficult to ignore the smug looks that woman was giving me." She choked. "When we began the process, he told me he was going to let me have the 'worthless' house, but we never put it down on paper. I'm so stupid." She finished the glass of wine and Hinata had lost count a long time ago. "They want to sell the house." She took a sip. "I told them I would fight for full ownership of the house. I was the one that chose this location. I have many memories in that house. I don't need to give it to him, but I don't think I am up for the challenge. I found out my lawyer was bribed by him, there is no clear or written evidence so the only thing I could do was fire him. Now I have no lawyer or hope."

Hinata felt useless. "You worked hard for that house, please don't give up."

The woman patted her hand. "I'll try."

* * *

Hinata wanted to scream. She had spent a whole week looking for a good lawyer and she had hit a dead end. Hinata put her head down. The week was almost over and she still had no lawyer for the neighbor. Every lawyer that looked promising was too expensive, booked, or sounded very pompous over the phone.

Hinata lifted her head when she heard the microwave's beep. Hinata felt embarrassed for falling asleep on the kitchen table. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

Sasuke shrugged and Hinata gathered her laptop and notebook so she could continue her search up stairs.

"Why are you trying so hard to help her?"

"If I don't, I will feel responsible for her anguish."

"Are you trying to compensate for something?"

Yes she was. "I'm just being selfish."

Sasuke took out his cell phone. "Give me that."

Hinata handed him her notebook and he plucked a pen from her hair bun and began to jot down a phone number. "This is a really good lawyer and he is willing to work with his clients. I'm not promising anything, but if he sees the slightest chance he will go for it. If he tells her he can't, then she should give up."

"She will appreciate this. Thank you."

Hinata wanted to say something else, but was cut off when Sakura slammed the front door.

"Sasuke!" She caught Hinata's gaze. "Is he here?"

Hinata glanced at Sasuke and his face became stern. "Please. I don't want to hear it."

Sakura gave him a nasty face and ignored his plea. "What is this I hear about-"

Hinata read over the information on the page and mouthed a thank you to Sasuke before leaving to tell the neighbor.

Things were finally going well for her.

* * *

**Welcome and thank you for reading.**

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the feedback you are giving me. You are all my beacon of light right now. I wish I could give you all more than an update.

**Guest 1**- I promise that it is no secret. Soon

**Guest 2**- Thank you

**Guest 3**- I am trying, they are in their twenties so I am trying to balance everything out.

* * *

**Chapter 3 (Preview)**

"**Don't forget he has a girlfriend."**

"**I understand about Sasuke. But I would still like to talk to Naruto"**

"**It's not right! Don't act innocent Hinata. I know about your activities when you went back to your hometown…I can't trust you anymore!"**


	4. Catalyst

******Ingénue** 3  


**Catalyst**

Sasuke came out of the kitchen with a drink in hand.

Hinata had taken a liking to reading down stairs. It was nice to know that she could now communicate with everyone. "Welcome home."

He wiggled his pinky at her.

"Hi Sasuke!" Sakura gave him a rough pat on the back, causing him to choke on his drink.

"That wasn't necessary."

"Of course not." Sakura walked over and sat beside Hinata. "Hey there Ms. Quiet, how about going on a date with me tomorrow?"

"Sure." Normally Hinata would refuse, but Sakura was pushing the boyfriend issue a lot lately and she just wanted to please her.

"Great, we will leave around five so be ready." Sakura was leaving, but came and snatched the book she was reading. "On second thought, let's go pick out your outfit for tomorrow."

Hinata complied and watched as Sakura raided her closet. Since nothing was to Sakura's liking, they moved on to her closet, but the outfits were too tight on certain areas.

"Why do you have to have such huge boobs!"

Hinata wanted to crawl under Sakura's bed and never come out, she was sure the whole neighborhood had heard that. "Please keep it down."

Sakura sighed in defeat. "Fine, we'll go with your first choice."

* * *

Hinata felt like a failure, she had tried, she really had. "I'm sorry"

"It's okay." assured Sakura while opening the door. "There is always next time."

Naruto and Sasuke were still awake and were watching TV.

"Hey! How was girl's night out?"

"Ask Ms. Princess here."

Hinata wanted to tell Sakura that the name calling wasn't necessary. "It was okay."

Sakura clicked her tongue. "It would have gone a lot better if she had cooperated, but she still got a lot of phone numbers, look." Sakura took out the stack of papers she had snatched away from Hinata in the car.

"You two went speed dating?"

"Yup, don't worry your little head I stayed back and watched." assured Sakura.

"Hey what does this one say?" Naruto reached out for a red piece of paper but Hinata was quick to snatch it first, a blush spreading all the way to her ears.

"Okay now I want to know what that one says." Sakura got up and tried to get the paper.

Hinata held the note safely behind her back. She began to read it in the car and was unable to read it all the way through. When she saw the title 'what I would do with you', she thought it was a sweet poem of fun activities. It was a poem, and it was about activities, but if _with_ would have been changed with _to_, she would have never opened it. It was frightening how well he described her anatomy after just five minutes of talking to her. "It's nothing." Hinata moved in circles and was doing a good job of avoiding Sakura, but her wining battle was short lived when she felt the piece of paper slip out of her fingers and was in Sasuke's grasp. Hinata could only look on in horror.

"Give it here." demanded Sakura.

Hinata was behind Sakura shaking her head and silently pleading him not to.

"What do I get?"

Sakura smirked. "A lap dance from Naruto."

"What? I never agreed to any of this! Why are you deciding things on your own?"

"Wait, I'm considering it." Sasuke gave Hinata a signal to move closer.

"What is there to consider!" screamed Naruto.

Sakura began to laugh. "Geez Sasuke I didn't know you had a thing for that kind of stuff."

Naruto began to playfully bicker with Sakura and Hinata watched Sasuke discretely drop the note and place it under his foot and after a few seconds slid it towards her. Hinata grabbed the embarrassing note and headed upstairs while Sasuke smoothly managed to change the topic.

* * *

It was late and Hinata was nodding off.

"Why do you always fall asleep on the couch?"

Hianta blinked to clear her foggy vision. "I find the couch extremely comfortable." Hinata closed the book, having forgotten what she had read for the last five pages. "Oh," Hinata reached beside her to grab a little box. "Things are going well with her case, so Ms. P asked me to give you this." She handed him the box. " Also, thank you for helping me the other night."

"You shouldn't go speed dating with Sakura." Sasuke shook the little box.

"I thought we were going to a park or maybe even a club, speed dating never crossed my mind. Did she ever take you?"

"Worst experience of my life."

"It was unexpected, but I had a lot of fun."

"uhu, keep lying to yourself."

Hinata stared at the floor in horror. "You're right, it was kind of scary." Luckily Sakura was out with Naruto celebrating her birthday; otherwise Hinata would have been in a lot of trouble for saying that.

"There are some good places, but Sakura likes to take us where the desperate people go. I swear she's so drastic."

Yes, indeed she was. Since high school the three of them had been an inseparable trio and Sakura, despite being the girl, would always look out for Sasuke and Naruto. When Hinata was in her home town, it was her friends that would always look out for her. Hinata had long ago accepted that she and Sakura were complete opposites.

Hinata gave a sigh. She really missed her friends, but she had no way of contacting them. Hinata's gaze traveled towards Sasuke and his eyes were gently shut.

"You should wear your glasses instead of straining your eyes with the contacts."

Sasuke opened his eyes and glared at her.

"I promise I won't try to take them." Hinata remembered that the few occasions Sasuke wore his glasses to school; the whole class would be at a standstill because the girls would fond over his appearance and take them of his face to wear them. The teachers eventually banned him from wearing his glasses. "You still get both contacts and galsses right?"

"They're a hindrance."

"You can wear them at home." Hinata rubbed her sleepy eyes. "Contacts are convenient but they aren't for everyone."

"You wear them?"

"No, I have pretty good vision, but a long time ago Sakura convinced me to buy color contacts because of my pale irises, I had to throw them away after a month."

"I see."

It was a few days later that she saw him with his glasses on, and he would always catch her stealing a glance.

"I'm sorry, but you look just like you did back in high school."

"How should I take that?"

Hinata didn't know. "A compliment, I suppose." Unfortunetly, the glasses intensified his acute stare, but Hinata still smiled at him approvingly.

* * *

Hinata had seen multiple little roses on a display window and was told that they were made out of tomato skin. She went to the store to buy some tomatoes and watched some instructional videos. After her third attempt, she was ready to give up butchering the poor tomatoes, but got a glimpse of Sasuke who was busy with his laptop. She would have gone about her business but Sasuke was resting his chin on his hand and that, Hinata learned recently, was one of the few gestures he did when he was trying to keep quiet and not mock her.

"It's harder than it looks." she was trying to convince herself.

Sasuke raised an eye brow and closed his laptop. He was going to say something, but kept silent, got up, washed his hands, and walked towards the kitchen counter. He picked up a tomato and the Perry knife and began to peel the tomato before Hinata could instruct him how. She watched his nimble fingers as they rotated the tomato evenly with the knife. His finished product looked better than the ones she had seen at the store, not to mention her own.

Without saying anything, Hinata picked up another tomato and attempted to copy Sasuke's movements.

"Y-you don't have to look at it like that."

"It doesn't look like mine."

Hinata tried to find the slightest resemblance but failed. "I don't think it ever will."

Sasuke handed her another tomato. "You're rotating the tomato correctly, but you are putting too much pressure on it, that's why the width comes out uneven. It is very simple."

Hinata followed his advice and Sasuke would lift her hand whenever she was dragging the knife.

"It's so pretty." it still didn't look like Sasuke's, but it at least resembled a rose. "Where did you learn to do it?"

Sasuke's face became stern. "My mother would always make them." He picked up one of Hinata's failed attempts. "I was a picky child and never liked the skin on my fruit. So when she bought cherry tomatoes, she would peel them and place the garnish inside my lunchbox. I suppose I saw her so many times it just stuck and I would unconsciously do it when she passed away."

"I'm sorry." In high school he was cold and distant, more so than he was now. She was told by Naruto that it was because he lost his parents at a very young age. "I lost my mother when I was a small girl. No matter how many years pass, you can never fill the emptiness they leave in your heart." Hinata hesitated. "Despite that, I still had my father, so I can't say I completely understand the feeling of being alone."

Sasuke put the garnish down. "But your relationship with your father wasn't all that great."

"It isn't. And at this point we could say it is irremediable."

"Aren't girls supposed to be daddy's little princesses?"

"If that's your ideal way of thinking, you will surely spoil any of your future daughters." Hinata smiled at the though. "My father and I always kept at a distance. I suppose I reminded him to much of my deceased mother. He said I was too weak and naïve, so he sent me to live on my own. Apparently he felt the need to become my ambition, since he said I lacked any."

"Do you?"

"I don't. But my goals were never what he wanted." There was a small pause. "Did your father ever push you to your limit?"

"On the contrary, he let me be. My brother was his main focus; he seemed to have all the right traits to become a prodigy. I wasn't stupid; I was simply not to par. When I lost my parents, my brother was the only thing I had left, so I resented him when he left me in order to pursue his dreams. He would seldom come home, and it was too late when I started noticing that his health was deteriorating. I didn't know that he was trying to get my father's company back, but he passed away before he was old enough to take over. Right now the people who run it let me work there because they want to keep the media away and mock my father for what he lost.

"No matter who you are your actions reflect on your parents and vice versa. The consequences are soon to follow." Hinata knew this all too well. "But you are already in there and I assure you, you have them in a corner. You should use that to your advantage." Hinata washed the tomatoes and took out other ingredients from her shopping bag. "I find it difficult to work with onions but since I'm the one with the knife, I have the advantage."

"Should I feel inspired?"

Hinata sniffed and shut her teary eyes. "Yes." She put the onions in the pot.

"What are you making?"

"Tomato soup." Hinata eyed the ingredients. "I can't just throw away the tomatoes. Besides, it's a pretty basic recipe."

* * *

"What is this?"

Hinata looked at the plate in Sakura's hand.

"Oh, it's the rose garnish Sasuke made. The one I did kept uncurling so I had to throw it away." Her rose stayed in its shape for no more than an hour, but Sasuke's had stayed intact, so she decided to put it in the refrigerator.

Sakura put the plate on the counter. "Did you ask him to help you?"

"Well, no. But in the end I guess he kind of felt compelled to. Why?"

Sakura shook her head. "I've asked him countless times to teach me how to do it, but he always tells me to learn by myself." Sakura inspected the rose, but it too was already coming apart. "Hey Hinata, how would you describe your relationship with Sasuke?"

Hinata gave it some though. "An acquaintanceship, I suppose."

"What about Naruto, what do you think of him?"

"He's a friend that I care a lot for."

"So you still love him." Her voice was frighteningly alarmed.

"No. There is nothing romantic about my feelings towards him."

Lately Hinata had to try harder than usual to keep the peace between herself and Sakura, but Sakura would push her more into a corner. It even came to the humiliating point where Sakura asked her if she had lost her virginity already. There were no euphemisms used and she had openly asked in front of Sasuke and Naruto which resulted in a broken plate. Apparently Naruto was so shocked he bumped into Sasuke causing him to drop a plate he was washing. Hinata tried to wiggle out of the question but Sakura snapped back by asking her if it hadn't been a pleasurable experience.

Hinata grabbed Sakura and had to take her outside. Sakura refused to let it go and Hianta was forced to tell her that she had indeed lost it years ago, but that it wasn't with Naruto. Sakura wanted to pry but Hinata had to put a stop to it. By the questions she was making, it seemed like Sakura already knew all the details, but Hinta just wanted to think that it was Sakura's insecurities creeping up again. But it was clear that there was more to it. Later that week, when Sakura and Naruto arrived from celebrating her birthday, it was evident they had argued. Sakura walked into the living room and turned back when she saw her there, but not before giving her a scowl. Needless to say that Hinata and Sasuke spent the rest of the week trying to stay out of the duos way.

And Sakura was still not over it. "Sakura, would it make you feel better if I left?"

"No, Naruto wouldn't like that, and that is what gets me upset."

"What exactly do you want?"

"I want you to stay away from him. No, stay away from both of them. Don't forget that Sasuke has a girlfriend Hinata, how would you feel if your boyfriend was acting familiarly with a girl that wasn't you? He and Naruto are very similar, they both like to help others despite the inconvenience, so have some consideration Hinata."

Hinata understood, but not being able to talk to Naruto would worsen the situation.

"I understand about Sasuke and I have crossed the line, but I would still like to speak to Naruto. You are here; you hear and see what I do."

Sakura threw the plate with the garnish in the trash. "Don't act like you are so great and innocent, when I know that back in your home town you slept around with married men!"

There was a ringing in Hinata's ear and the phosphenes in her eyes began to obscure everything and her ability to control her breathing was the only thing keeping her from passing out. It wouldn't have been such a shock if the story hadn't escalated to such a degree. "W-who did you hear that from?" She was short of breath.

"Does it matter? I have known for a while and I had let it slide, but it became alarming when you started to become friendly with the guys."

"That's not what happened!"

"Then look at me in the eyes and tell me it is a lie. Come on, tell me." Sakura shortened the distance.

Hinata didn't know where to begin. "I don't know where you heard that from but it's not completely accurate."

"So you didn't have anything to do with a married man?"

Hinata couldn't come up with the right words. "Well I did but-" Maybe she should have just said yes, because the actual story was so stupid.

"It's not right Hinata, so I will ask you to back off!" Sakura looked away, something she did when she was trying to control her anger. After a few minutes, Sakura gave a defeated sigh. "It doesn't matter Hinata. It doesn't matter if it was one or nine." Hinata felt a pang in her heart. "If marriage isn't a barrier, then a mere boyfriend girlfriend relationship is nothing for you. So please understand what I'm asking for."

Hinata nodded her head. Her tongue was in a knot and her throat was feeling funny.

Sakura smiled at her. "What's done is done, but understand that when something like that happens, the way people feel about you changes. Don't worry, I won't tell Naruto and he will continue to talk to you and it can't be helped. But try to keep it to a minimum." She gave Hinata a pat on the shoulder. "I'll see you later."

Hianta heard the garage door open and the only thing that made her brain kick back into gear was bile she had been holding in and rushed to the restroom.

So outside of her hometown she wasn't just a tramp.

Hinata's abdomen was beginning to hurt.

Hinata tidied herself before stepping out. She went down stairs to grab her belongings and saw Sasuke peeling an orange by the trash can. Hinata supposed that greeting him or looking at him was out of the question, so she grabbed her sweater and avoided Sasuke's gaze before heading out side for a long walk.

* * *

Hinata's new routine was to stay in school as long as possible or until the janitor would kick her out, avoid everyone by locking herself in her room and asking the teacher to give her work so she could be busy. During the weekends, she would go to the park and spend hours roaming or reading and would return home late at night and would always go straight to her room. It was exhausting, and now more than ever Hinata felt alone.

It was Wednesday and Hinata had been allowed to go home early because of the junior's practice test. She was ready to lie down and sleep until the next day but her phone brought her back to her senses.

"_Hinata! I'm so glad I got a hold of you. You've been so busy lately I haven't seen you."_

"Yeah." Busy avoiding anyone and anything.

"_Hey are you free right now?"_

"Uh," what was she supposed to do? "I was going to go shopping."

"_Ah great, forget about the shopping I need you too…would you wait, I'm busy! Argh stupid old man! I don't have the time to explain so please call Sasuke."_

"Sorry I don't have his number."

"_Okay gotcha, bye."_

Naruto hung up and Hinata's inability to help Naruto left her with a pained conscious, but at least she was home free.

Untill she received a message from Naruto.

**Call Sasuke ASAP 281-555-0121 thank You.**

Why her? Why? Hinata really wanted to ignore it, but it looked urgent. Hinata hovered her finger on the number for a while before tapping it.

"_Who's this?"_

"It's me Hinata. Naruto wanted me to give you a call." There was long pause on the other end of the phone.

"_Are you busy?"_

Yes. "No."

"_Go to my room and open the top drawer of my desk. Inside should be some files, I need you to get the silver one with the three exes on the tab." _

Hinata followed his instructions. His files were all neatly labeled and color coded so Hinata had no trouble finding it. "I got it."

"I need you to bring it to my work, I will text you the address. Can you do that?"

He wasn't just asking, he was kind of pleading and thirty minutes later, Hinata was standing in front of the biggest building in the area. Once inside, Hinata watched some people rush back and forth and others were simply lounging about. 'So this is the life you wanted for me father?' Hinata walked through busy lobby and took the elevator to the tenth floor. Sasuke was waiting by the rail and Hinata had never seen him so pressed down.

"What's the matter Uchiha, not prepared for today?"

Sasuke tensed up and turned away from the guy.

"Meeting starts in ten minutes don't be late." The man walked out of view and Hinata deemed it safe to approach Sasuke.

He was so lost in his thought; Hinata had to tap him on the shoulder and almost ended up with a broken wrist.

"Sorry." He gently let her go.

"It's okay." Hinata handed him the folder. She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but decided against it. "I'll be leaving." She hesitated before heading in the other direction. She maneuvered herself past the busy crowd of people and was able to put one foot outside the building before someone grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her back in.

"I'm so glad they sent a backup. Come, we have to get you ready."

"I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong person."

"Non-sense you are the only one I don't recognize, so you must be our speaker for the presentation today."

"No I just came here to deliver something and I was on my way out." explained Hinata while trying to pry herself free.

"Uhu. Here." Hinata was given some packets.

"Please," Hinata put the packets down and stood in front of the frantic woman. "I'm not the person you are looking for."

The woman looked like she wanted to cry. "So you aren't the back up?"

"Sorry, but I don't even know what you are talking about."

There was a quick change in expression and the woman checked her surroundings before pushing Hinata into an empty room.

"Do you work for a company or anything of that sort?"

Hinata shook her head no.

"Then why the heck are you dressed like that?"

"This is the dress code at the school I work in." Hinata was alarmed when the woman began to hit her head on the wall. "Please don't do that, it will leave a bruise."

"It doesn't matter, nothing matters now that I'm going to be let go."

"Why?"

"This company is falling apart and the stupid CEO's are planning to sell out. Many of us will be without a job." The woman was so frantic she began to twist the papers in her hands. "Right now the sole survivor of the founding family is trying to proof to the chairman of the board that he is in the right to say things about the company, but that room is so biased and full of vultures it is going to be difficult. They found out that he was to meet with major investors to get funding for his projects so he could show some sort of achievement when he was talk to the director, so they purposefully convinced the director to listen to the Uchiha today instead of coming back again next week." The woman wanted to yank her hair out. "He's so stupid! Now he worries about the company? I swear I never understood the Uchiha's but he is by far the biggest enigma. To make matters worse we have a room full of sponsors that we need to convince and since we don't have any good people working on our side, Mr. Uchiha had to hire somebody to take his place, but they just called me to cancel and he doesn't know. What am I supposed to say to those people, 'sorry meeting is canceled, but feel free to leave a check in case you like the coffee we serve?"

"Surely there's somebody that is free?"

"They are too scared to defy orders and the employees the original family hired are being threatened. Stupid company is so corrupt." She had now begun to fold and unfold the papers. "It was hard for the Uchiha to get them in one room, things like this are rare, you wouldn't understand." the secretary was about to cry. "I've wasted enough of your time, please; just leave me to wallow in my despair."

Hinata fidgeted for a moment. Her father's words were circling in her head and it was hard to ignore them. "I'll do it."

"What?"

"I'll do it. Somebody is better than nobody, so I'll do it. I'm not an expert, but I think I can handle a presentation."

"You can do this?" The woman's face lit up. "Okay, the meeting starts in half an hour. I'll try to fill you in, but make sure you only give them the gist of the idea, we don't want them to go off and give our ideas to the people they are sponsoring and investing in already."

The woman fixed Hinata's hair in a tight bun and gave her some fake glasses. "They are secretary essentials, besides, it adds to your appeal."

"I really don't want them."

"Just wear them, when you are done you can take them off and put your hair back down. Appearance is a must and I have to say that without them no one will take you seriously, so just bear with it for a while."

Hinata stood at the door and her heart was beating so fast she could already feel the blood rushing to her head.

"Try your best." The secretary gave her two thumbs up and she looked like she was sending a child to school.

HInata took a deep breath and stepped inside, immediately all eyes were on her. Hinata felt like crying, the last time she did something like this was seven years ago. "Good afternoon." It was time to put everything her father thought her into action.

The smell of a meeting room, the hard stares of those who were listening, the blinding light of the projector, the questions, the scribbling of notes on course paper, and that one person who was more interested in texting under the table, it all felt nostalgic and she found herself back in her hometown trying to prove to her father that she was worth all the expenses.

The meeting finished and Hinata was shaking the hands of people she would most likely never meet again and out of the ten investors three of them had given their approval; the rest said they would think about it. Once they all excited the room the secretary entered and began to squeal and jump with joy. "Okay, I'm going to see if I can sneak this in to the idiot."

Instead of staying put, curiosity got the better of Hinata and she decided to follow the secretary. Apparently Sasuke's meeting was on break because they were all scattered outside. They were all in their little groups except Sasuke, whom was leaning against the wall with that pensive expression she would always see him with. She really wanted to walk over and cheer him on, but the thought of Sakura made her stay put. She watched the secretary discreetly approached him and hand him the information. She couldn't see his expression because the people got in her line of view. Hinata felt silly hiding behind a wall and decided it was time to go home. She felt bad for not saying goodbye to the secretary, but the adrenaline was starting to wear of and fatigue was setting in.

She never expected that being prohibited to talk to Sausuke would make her feel so disconsolate.

* * *

Thank you for reading ^-^

Yay I met my own dead line! I hope you guys like it. Many things will be explained in the next chapter and from then on it will all be SasuHina goodness, at least, I hope. Please bear with me.

Thank you for all your support for the story.

* * *

**Chapter 4 (preview)**

**Hinata awoke to the blinding light coming from the window. She wanted to get up, but the tight grip on her waist prevented her from doing no more than turning to face the person beside her.**

**The events of last night came flooding in and Hinata couldn't believe she had gotten herself into this mess.**


	5. Meliorism

**Ingénue 4**

**Meliorism**

"It's not fair!" Hinata patted the wailing woman on the pack with the tips of her fingers. "How can Tsunade do this to me? She knows I need the help." It was clear the wedding jitters were getting to her. Hinata was surprised the usually grumpy teacher was ready to tie the knot with a guy she had known for three months. Nonetheless, she was happy for her.

"We both know my stay wasn't permanent." The district had gotten around to fixing the school zones and now the children were equally distributed. This meant she would no longer be needed since the student to teacher ratio was fixed. "We shouldn't talk about this right now, it's your bachelorette party, and you should enjoy yourself."

The bride to be shook her head. "You're right. This is no time to be sad."

The maid of honor took the woman's hand and led her away. "How about we go to the chocolate fountain?"

Hinata's smile faded.

Her job hunt wasn't leading anywhere and if she didn't find a job before the end of summer she would have to use the money in her savings account. If her father saw her now, he would give her that stern disappointed look.

Hinata took a sip of her punch and saw a shady figure through the bottom of her glass. She lowered the cup and her eyes locked with the main attraction's sultry ones.

HInata blushed and shook her head at him.

He began to undo his bow tie.

Hinata pointed at her purse and shrugged her shoulders apologetically, but the guy didn't seem to care, why should he? He was already getting paid by the hour. He was making his way towards her and Hinata looked at her watch, it was twenty till midnight and the perfect time to leave before things got any crazier. She gathered her stuff leaving the entertainment with another woman that was tipping him rather well, and bid the bride to be farewell, who shoved boxes of chocolates inside her purse before letting her go.

Hinata walked by the apartment complex she had been eyeing due to its cheap rent, but she didn't think she could get used to the loud city life. The first loud thing she ever got used to was Naruto's enigmatic personality, but the bustling of things would tire and ravel her nerves. Hinata continued her walk where she spotter two men cornering a woman.

"Hey there babe, you must be lost."

"If you don't get of my face I will make sure _you_ lose something."

"Feisty little vixen."

"More like phoenix look at the color of her hair. What the hell."

Hinata was trying to find a way around them, but there were only buildings with no entrances. Hinata's concern increased when one of them grabbed the woman's hand and pinned her to the wall. "You will pay for that."

Hinata kept telling herself to walk away but she wouldn't be able to live with herself knowing she could have done something.

HInata reached into her purse and braced herself for what was to come.

"I'll show you how a real man does it."

Hinata swung her chocolate filled purse as hard as she could towards the guy that had his back to her and pepper sprayed the other one. He screamed some profanities and held his burning eyes. Before the other one had time to react, Hinata grabbed the woman's hand and ran to find some kind of safety zone.

Hinata rounded the corner and entered a little food mart she had seen on her way to the party. She went around to the first isle to duck and stuck her head out in time to see the man running past the store.

Hinata thanked god for the man's idiocy.

Panting, she looked at the woman beside her. "Are you okay?"

She yanked her hand away from Hinata's. "I didn't need your help."

"Right." Hinata opened a bottle of water and handed it to her, taking one for herself and walking over to the counter.

"Please charge me for two."

"You know he is eventually going to come around."

"I know." She should have brought her Taser.

Hinata put the water bottle in her purse and got a glimpse of the dented boxes of chocolate. She walked back to the woman who looked like she was falling asleep.

"Please don't fall asleep here."

"What, you are going to boss me around now?" In the light, Hinata could see that her eyed were red and puffy and her breath smelled of alcohol. This was going to make things difficult. The parking garage was just on the other side, but she was too scared to go around the building.

"Excuse me, do you mind letting us out the back door." It was the alley, but she was sure the men were too drugged to see correctly in a dark place.

"Sure."

Hinata grabbed the woman's arm, but she pulled back. Hinata got irritated. "Look, I got into this to save you and I will not leave you until you are out of harm's way. So whether you like it or not, you are coming with me." Hinata grabbed the woman firmly and made her get off the floor.

"Thank you for your help."

The store clerk shrugged. "No problem."

They were once again out in the dark and Hinata swiftly made her way between the buildings, until she reached the end. The streets on this side of city were a little busier and the parking garage was just across the street. They reached the car and Hinata let Karin go. "If you want I can take you home."

"I don't want to go home. And don't even think about leaving me here. You said you were going to take responsibility."

"There is a hotel around the area."

"If you take me to a hotel, I will destroy everything and have them charge everything on your card." She lowered her guard. "Just take me to your house; I want a different environment."

Bringing a puppy to the house was different than bringing a person. Hinata hesitated but agreed, she didn't want to wake up and hear on the radio station about a woman with red hair that had gone missing. She unlocked the door and to let her in the car.

"My name is Hinata.

"Karin." The woman kept her gaze towards the window. "Hinata? That name sounds familiar."

"It is a rather common name."

"I guess you're right, a common name for a common woman."

Hinata puffed her cheeks, readying herself to say something, but decided to let it go and continued the drive in silence.

Hinata helped the woman up the stairs and because of the sick face she had on, steered her quickly to the restroom. There she spent about fifteen minutes rubbing the woman's back. Afterwards she handed her a change of clothes and left to clean the bathroom.

Really, how was she going to explain this too Sakura?

Hinata was saddened that neither Sakura nor Naruto were home, but she wasn't surprised. Things had gotten tense between them, she felt that everything had been her fault and she knew Sasuke felt the same. He would pierce her with an accusing look before going about his way.

She really didn't understand him, and recently he had been going on a lot of business trips. Hinata shoved her concerns to the back of her head, she was too tired.

The woman had made herself comfortable on the bed and Hinata contemplated sleeping on the floor, but her back was screaming for something soft. She changed into comfortable clothes and moved the woman over.

She was sure she heard a door slam. She kept her eyes closed, allowing her senses to awaken. She could feel the hot sun on her face, contrast to the cold numbing sensation on her feet and there was something heavy on her torso. Hinata tried to take it off, but the unfamiliar feeling alarmed her and she opened her eyes. The arm led to a lump with red hair sticking out, and she remembered the responsibility she took the night before.

Hinata lifted the limp hand off her, but the hand quickly grabbed a fistful of her shirt.

"D-don't go."

Hianta sat still for a moment; she was sure the woman still asleep. The grip slowly loosened and the hand retreated inside the covers.

She would have liked to let her sleep more, but it was already two in the afternoon and she had things to do.

"Hey," she shook her with enough force. "Karin."

Hinata pulled down the covers, sleepy annoyed eyes focusing on her. "It's late already."

Karin sat up. "My head hurts."

Hinata remembered the awful feeling that would stick to the sides of the brain the morning after drinking. "You should wash up." Hinata walked to her closet and grabbed some clothes she thought would fit her.

Karin took the clothes and waddled into the restroom. When she came out Hinata handed her her cell phone. "Please call somebody and let them know you are okay, you were a little out of it last night and refused to do it."

"Whatever."

Hinata took her turn in the shower and was alarmed when she returned to an empty room and went down stairs. She found Karin eyeing the photos hanging on the walls.

"They are…my housemates." she felt uncomfortable calling them friends. "They are very kind people."

There was a hint of anger present in Karin's eyes. "So which one is your boyfriend?"

"None of them."

"So you're lesbian."

"What?"

"I find it hard to believe that you are living with two men and there is nothing going on."

"That's rather personal, but there is nothing going on. Besides they are all in a relationship."

"But that doesn't stop some women, right Hi-na-ta?"

That was rather inappropriate, so she ignored it. "Would you like to go get something to eat?"

* * *

Hinata arrived home exhausted.

Karin had spent the entire time talking about the problems she was having with her boyfriend. Apparently he was very distant with her and would always cancel dates.

"He even had the audacity to tell me that my kisses felt like a stranger's. Seriously, how the hell does he know how kissing a stranger feels like? I bet you he is cheating on me, I just know it."

Afterwards she gave her an accusing stare and Hinata couldn't swallow the carrot in her mouth. She kind of reminded her of a high school version of Sakura, that's the only reason she was able to catch on to Karin's hidden insults and swiftly dodge the conversation.

If she didn't know any better, she would say Karin was not very fond of her, and her broken cell phone was proof of that.

After finishing, Karin was going to hand back her phone, but ended up 'accidentally' dropping it from the two story restaurant. Hinata didn't fret too much and mentally thanked the sales person for convincing her to get insurance. She took Karin to her apartment where a big tough looking guy was feeding the birds. If that was her boyfriend he looked really kind, but Hinata knew better than to judge people by their appearances.

Hinata entered the house and was startled by a somber looking Naruto. "Welcome Home."

"Thank you." Hinata looked around.

"Sakura is not here, she left early in the morning to cover a shift."

"Hinata, have you talked to Sakura?"

"Not recently." It had been about two weeks since they last talked.

Naruto grabbed his hair and gave a frustrated groan. "I don't understand her! One minute we are okay, the next we are arguing about something stupid, then we make up and she comes the next day telling me she wants to break up." He was panting heavily, he looked like he was about to cry. "Seriously, what more am I supposed to do. " He plopped down on the couch, his hands covering his face. "I'm sorry; I know you don't want to hear any of this. Maybe I deserve this for what I did to you."

Hinata shook her head in frustration and marched up to him, taking his hands away from his face.

"What happened was _our_ fault!" It came out louder than intended, but she was frustrated with all of this misunderstandings and blame games. "Yes, I did end it because your feelings for Sakura always shone through, but you don't need to feel guilty for that. I knew you liked Sakura, and I just wanted to tell you how I felt but then you asked me to be your girlfriend and I was so overwhelmed I said yes. I was happy to have the person I admired by my side."

Naruto enclosed his hands around hers. "I was happy. I had always been treated like a nuisance and an outcast because I grew up without parents, and then you came along…I did feel something but-"

"I know. But we didn't understand that it was only appreciation we felt. But something good came out of it, you were able to ascertain your feelings for Sakura and I was able to stand up for myself a little more, so don't feel bad because we would have dragged on something that wasn't there in the first place."

Hinata brought down her hands. "You feel this? There is nothing here, I am not caught up on you, and I'm not sorry about what happened between us."

Naruto gave her a sad smile. "Thank you." He squeezed her hand before letting her go.

Hinata went to her room and grabbed a bag of clothes.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go talk to Sakura. I made the mistake of not trusting her as a true friend when I think she is the only one who would be able to understand me."

It was almost time for Sakura's shift to be over, so Hinata sat in the waiting room to keep an eye out for Sakura. She came out rubbing her neck and her eyes looked watery. She knew Sakura was tiered for working two shifts, but she really wanted to set things straight. If she left the house she wanted it to be under good terms.

"Hinata what are you doing here? Did you hurt yourself?" Sakura's concern showed in her eyes and grabbed her hand to inspect it.

Hinata took a step back. "I came here because I wanted to talk to you. If I waited till you got home, you were most likely going to avoid me. Am I right?"

Sakura shook her head.

"Let's go to the cafeteria, I bought something for us to eat."

"I was nineteen when I met him. He told my father he wanted to be part of a project my father was currently working on at the time. My father usually didn't like strangers in, but he was impressed that despite his young age, he was a ticking time bomb with magnificent ideas. My father invited him into our home and that's when things went steadily downhill. I spent most of my time following him because my father wanted me to learn his ways. I was a dumb nineteen year old that was swept by his well-practiced words."

Hinata could see Sakura wanted to say something but there was nothing she could say, it was all in the past. "I was twenty one and drunk when I slept with him. Since I was seventeen I would drink with my father, he wanted to build my alcohol tolerance, which he did, so when I think back I want to kick myself for not catching on sooner. I really shouldn't have gotten tipsy with two drinks, but when there is so much clutter in your mind, you just don't think straight and I didn't think much about it afterwards because I knew I liked him." Hinata gave herself a pathetic laugh. "I was past cloud nine and all I could think was that there was somebody that was interested in me."

Sakura was able to look at her. "Did you know he was married?"

"No." She pushed her plate away. "I was supposed to be studying for an exam, but I snuck out of the house to go to the city and see the Christmas parade. I was minding my own business when I spotted him with what I would learn later was his wife."

Hinata didn't want to start crying; she cleared her throat and continued, ignoring the knot in her throat. "I followed them to an alley were they began to argue. Apparently he was supposed to distract me and encourage me to give up my interest in getting into the company my father had his eyes set for me because I posed a threat. But it was taking too long. She told him that she would take care of things from there on.

Sakura looked shocked. "So she was in on it?"

"Yes. The next day I confronted him about it and he told his wife his wife came to the house and made a big scene about the whole thing and demanded my father give her hush money. My father refused and that angered her more. She spread the rumors of me sleeping with men to get what I wanted, and since I was always seen with business men, people linked them together and found amusement in making up stories. I never cared for it myself, but I realized I had tarred my father's reputation more than mine."

_Did you hear Hiashis daughter entered the hotel with…_

_The Hyugas are dirty cheaters, his daughter…_

_He should feel ashamed for conceiving a vixen…_

"My father couldn't take it anymore and told me to leave." It had been hard. "Sakura, how did you find out about it?"

Sakura took a deep breath. "Six months ago a woman started a program for the elders that have no one to turn to, and once in a while comes to check up on them. In a matter of months she was able to win the heart of the patients and the workers. Once we all gathered around to get to know her better and she began to sob as she told us the story of the time her husband fell victim to a spoiled pampered girl named Hinata Hyuga that would use men as stepping stones to climb to the top. I was shocked and didn't want to believe, but like I told you, I didn't like the way you were getting close to Naruto. As for Sasuke, well he is hard to get along with but you seemed to do it with ease. I was never fond of you in high school, and I was angry that there was nothing you did that could make you look like a bad person. So I clung to those lies to make myself feel better for the angry feelings swelling up inside me."

Hinata sighed in understanding. "I was always jealous of you. You always carried yourself with purpose and things seemed to come easy for you."

Sakura laughed. "I wasn't always like that. When you came along you turned my world upside down. I realized that I was losing things that I thought would forever be mine."

"Like Naruto."

Sakura looked down, feeling a little shameful. "I was annoyed when he began to give you his attention and shocked when you two started going out. Even Sasuke liked to rub it in my face. He's the kind of person that likes to rub salt in your wounds." She rested her head on her hand. "I thought that he would come to me once you broke up with him, but he never did. Years went by and we still talked but only as friends. It wasn't until you moved in that we started going out. I was the one that asked him out because I didn't want you to have him back. All this time I have been smarting over the fact that he went to you while I had to go to him."

"Maybe he wanted to wait until you were ready."

"You know, he smothers me with so much love I get all giddy but them it seems too come so naturally and I can't help but think that maybe he did the same to you and my hateful feelings comeback."

Hinata took a deep breath. "Did you know that Naruto and I didn't even kiss?"

Sakura almost did a spit take. "What?"

"We were really close once, but we got interrupted. We never tried it again."

"N-Naruto told me but I thought he was just trying to make me feel better. I'm so sorry."

"Nope, it's true." Hinata tied her hair up. "And we never went on a date alone. We were always surrounded with all of you, because we were silently agreeing that something wasn't clicking"

Sakura grabbed her head. "I'm a horrible person. This morning I let my insecurities rise to the highest level and I just felt so frustrated I told him I wanted to break up." Sakura grabbed Hinata's hand. "What do I do?"

"I really want you two too set things right, so I will be away from the house for a week."

"You don't have to, I mean-"

"I need some time on my own, so don't worry." Hinata put Sakura's plate on top of hers to throw them away. "You should go, Naruto was really devastated, and I don't know what he might do."

Sakura was leaving but came back to get her sweater and gave Hinata a hug. "I'm sorry. I hope we can be open with each other from now on."

Hinata returned the hug, it felt so sisterly and she didn't know why they didn't do this before. "Yeah." She would have to start opening up to people again.

* * *

Hinata yawned loudly and put her head on the desk. It was late but Hinata wanted to finish grading the papers before heading to the hotel. School would be over in a month and she wanted to spend all weekend looking for a job. Hinata moved her head from side to side groaning in frustration, the cool hard table provided a little relieve from her headache. She stopped when she felt a presence in front of her. A student? No it was too late. She snapped her head up; worried that it might be an intruder.

"Sasuke?" Hinata wiped some strands of hair off her face.

"Have you moved out?"

Hinata occupied herself by putting her papers into stacks. "No, some things happened and I need some time alone. But I will be returning on Sunday."

"How long have you been away?"

He had been away for two weeks so of course he didn't know. "About a week."

"I'm not deducting the week from your rent."

Hinata stopped and looked up at him. "Is that why you are here?" she wasn't trying to be rude, but she was a little confused.

"I have been calling your cell phone and you don't answer."

It was starting to feel like an interrogation. "I broke my phone." She wouldn't be getting the replacement until tomorrow.

Sasuke placed a folder in front of her. "Why didn't you tell me you were the one that convinced the investors?"

"It seemed…unnecessary." Hinata got up. She really didn't like having to look up at him, he was too intimidating whether he realized it or not.

"I was told by my secretary that the designated person didn't come but you had left before she got your information. I recently found out through one of the investors on this last trip." Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose before focusing on her. "Inside is the check that was supposed to be given to you that day along with a job offer."

"A job offer? From who?"

"Me."

She didn't like where this was going. "Think of it as a thank you. Since you were able to convince the investors, I was able to open another location and we are short on help. I have been filling the empty gap, but the job requires some traveling and I don't like traveling."

Did she really want to affiliate herself with business people on a daily basis?

"Please think about it, but I need an answer by Monday. If I don't receive one, I will offer it to someone else."

Hinata took the folder. "I will…thank you."

He was heading to the door but turned back to her. "While I was away, did you enter my room?"

She was appalled by the accusation. "No."

"Hm," He looked sternly at her and she allowed herself to be read, she didn't have anything to hide. "Never mind."

Hinata waited till she could no longer hear his footsteps to skim through the folder.

"Well, they have benefits." Hinata sat down and tried to gather her thoughts.

* * *

**Chapter 5 (preview)**

** Sasuke scrunched his nose. "You stink"  
**

**If he wasn't so close he wouldn't be smelling her. ****"Sorry if I don't smell like roses." ****Hinata refrained from giving another snappy reply, she didn't want to start a squabble.**


	6. Perpetual

**Ingénue 5**

**Perpetual**

Hinata paced outside Sasuke's door, the folder tightly grasped on her chest.

"Ah! Hinata I didn't know you were back."

"I just arrived. How have you been?"

"Terrible. Jiraiya finished writing his book and he wants me to revise it by tomorrow. I haven't eaten nor showered all day. What about you?"

"I've been well." She spent the whole weekend thinking of all the pros and cons of taking the job. The pros outnumbered the cons but didn't out weight them. Her biggest fear was running into _them, _she was really exposing herself.

"Where is Sakura?"

"She went to get something to eat. Don't worry I'm sure she'll get something for you."

Naruto knocked on Sasuke's door and pushed her inside. Sasuke continue typing, already used to Naruto's antics. "Don't knock if you aren't going to wait for a reply."

"I do it because it annoys you." Naruto ushered her toward Sasuke. "I found Hinata pacing outside your room."

Did he have to say it? "G-good evening."

"Have you decided?"

"Yes." She handed him the folder. There was no turning back now, and if she did, she knew she would have to face Sasuke's silent wrath. She had seen Naruto become victim of it, and she vowed to never get on his bad side. "Please let me know if you need more information."

"You two will be working together?" Naruto skimmed through a stack of papers on Sasuke's desk. "Lucky, you get too share the gas expenses."

"She will be working at the other location." He slammed his hand on top of the stack, warning Naruto to stop meddling with it.

"Still, you are her boss." Naruto patted her on the shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"Naruto, finish your business."

"Yeah, yeah. I will be using your shampoo today. I haven't had time to go to the store."

Naruto mouthed another apology before retreating to the restroom.

"As the conditions say, I will wait until the school term finishes for you to begin. Will you be busy this weekend?"

And even if she was, she would have canceled. "No."

"You will meet with my secretary so she can show you how things work." He turned to face her. "Is Saturday okay?"

"Yes. Thank you."

* * *

Hinata was trying to keep a straight face.

The anatomy teacher was pregnant and unable to handle the Cat activity. The other anatomy teachers didn't want to handle two classes at the same time, stating that it would be hard enough to keep an eye on their own students and preventing them from starting scalpel duels. And if the classes combined, the groups would be too big and nothing would get done.

A substitute teacher was out of the question. She wouldn't know how to handle the procedures without consulting the other teachers and they would just be back to square one. As a result, the pregnant teacher's classes were condemned to packets the whole week.

The health teacher shunned the lazy teachers. Since she was a big fan of hands on activities she volunteered, but her students complained that she should pay attention to them since their final was around the corner. Hinata admired the teacher's determination to give the students a good education, and told her she would take care of it.

"Okay. Once I hand you the cat, make sure you write your table number on it with the permanent marker. Read the instructions carefully, if I see you playing around, I will ask you to leave and you will be doing the alternate assignment. When you dispose of the juices, try to get it all inside the sink. If you have any questions please let me know."

"You can leave he skin on the head and the paws, and I shouldn't see any opened cats. Just jab a hole on the muscle and mark it with the red string." She went around helping the students, not wanting to fall behind schedule since the cats would only be there for a week and there would be questions about the activity on their final.

"There are ten minutes left. Please wrap the cat with the skin and put it inside the bag. Rinse out all your utensils and wipe your table with the Windex provided and put your cat in the appropriate box."

One period down, four more to go.

The morning classes were always easier since they were too sleepy to make a commotion, but come around fourth period the students were rowdy and nauseous since it was after lunch. Hinata would finish the day with raveled nerves, but she was glad the students were able to participate.

Friday came around and Hinata once again found herself after school hours trying to get grading done. Everything was on schedule, but a fight broke out outside her class. She stepped in to break it and write them up. It caused her to be an hour behind schedule, and the man that was supposed to pick up the cats kept eating a sandwich and watching her count the red strings on the cats. When she was done, the guy dropped the last box in his cart and winked at her before leaving.

She was home, stressed and on edge. It wasn't just the week, all month long she had been anxious and had failed to find the cause.

She was in desperate need of a shower and her tummy rumbled for food. She reached for a bowl to wash the rice, but a mug fell near her feet. The heavy smack on the ground alerted Sasuke and he came to check on her.

"Sorry, I dropped a mug." Upon closer inspection, she noticed that it had been the mug her father had given her for her eighteenth birthday. Great, now she felt like crying.

Distracted in her nostalgia and pending frustration, she failed to notice Sasuke was helping her. She tumbled forward and missed a shard by inches.

"You stink."

His scrunched up face would have been comical, but her irritation impeded her from laughing. "I'm sorry that I don't smell like roses." Hinata stopped to reflect on the way she had answered.

Sasuke got up to throw away the pieces and Hinata followed suit.

"I'm sorry; it's been a long day." She felt the urge to talk to somebody, something to prevent her from crying. "The anatomy classes have been working with cats to identifying the muscles and ligaments. That's why I smell sour."

Hinata got the broom and gathered the little pesky pieces. She would have started to talk to the wall had he not been there.

"Remember the pig?"

Hinata thought for a minute. "I'm so glad I didn't have to cover for the biology teacher. I don't think I would have been able to handle the pig activity again. It was bad enough when I had to do it as a student, I don't think I would have been much help as a teacher."

"I don't know. You did a good job in snapping that pig's jaw."

There was horror present in Hinata's countenance as she remembered the execrable crunch it made when she cracked it open. "I thought I would never forget…and I did."

She looked up at Sasuke. "You're welcome." He handed her the dust pan and left her with her somber thoughts. Flashes of the piglets opened jaw and tongue kept running through her head. Her stomach automatically shut down.

* * *

This was the first time in months that she would be turning off the alarm, and the neon green buttons menacingly dared her too push the wrong code.

She knew it had something to do with their birthdays combined, but couldn't remember the order. She would have been okay if Sasuke wasn't standing there nonchalantly fixing his tie. Hinata placed her finger over the three and saw Sasuke lift his brow.

She hovered over the one and Sasuke put his hands in his pockets.

Maybe it began with his birthday. She confidently reached for a seven, but stopped short. She knew he was a summer baby, but couldn't remember if it was June or July. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sasuke glance at his watch. "Just say that you don't know."

"I…" She sighed in defeat. "I don't know it."

He pressed the code, 3711 she would have to write that down. The system chimed happily, letting them know the house would let them leave without breaking out in a horrid wail. They got in their cars without giving each other a second glance and drove in opposite directions.

"I'm so glad we found you!" She hadn't reached the front desk and the secretary was already suffocating her in a hug.

"Ms…"

"Oh Hinata," she let her go. "You can call me Yuko. I felt terrible when you left and Mr. Uchiha was mad at me for letting you leave without getting your information. But here you are. It sure is a small world. Anyways, let's get started. There is a lot of information I am going to cram your brain with, I hope you're ready."

It was a small building, with it only being one floor. She wouldn't be traveling all the time, just on the occasion that they wanted to expand their product in another area or there was another company interested in the concept. Other than that it was basic paper work. It was all fairly simple and she quickly understood how to manage the system.

"Do you have any questions?"

"No, I think I got it all down."

"Better sort that information quickly because I am going to give you more after lunch."

Hinata would nod and occasionally reply to Yuko's adventures in the main office. "Sometimes I have to deal with jerks that just come barging in like they own the place and it just gets me so urgh! But I give my hubby a quick text and he livens up my mood. I'm sad that Mr. Uchiha relocated him to this area, but I fill with pride knowing his hard work was recognized. So if you ever need help, feel free to ask him, he's a real kind person. There are times when he brings me and Mr. Uchiha some lunch. Though, I don't know if Mr. Uchiha eats them or throws them out the window."

Hinata smiled at the thought. "I'm sure he eats it, he is human and we have certain things that we can't live without."

Yuko sighed. "Like love."

She wasn't referring to that, but she let the secretary have her moment.

The few workers that showed up to catch up on their work had left and Yuko took the opportunity to show her how too close up. "Remember, this is not a twenty four seven office, so you have to be here on time to open and wait until everyone is out to close. If anything happens Mr. Uchiha will go to you first."

That was a big responsibly. They exited the building and there was a car waiting. Yuko waved in excitement. "I promised him we could have dinner tonight."

"Have fun." Hinata smiled at her perkiness, a completely contrast to her paranoid personality. She walked towards her car, and was startled to see a shadow from her peripheral vision. "Karin?"

"You!"

She didn't see the hand until it made contact with her face. Hinata was trying to figure out what was going on but the stars in her eyes were making it hard to focus.

"Are you going to take advantage of the situation?"

This was the second time Hinata had been struck like that, and she was not going to let it happen a third time.

"Let me go!"

"Not until you calm down." She grabbed Karin's other hand just as it came down.

Karin pushed Hinata with her fore arms, causing Hinata too stumble back, but she quickly went to the other side of the car, keeping her distance from Karin. Karin in return looked desperate, and Hinata saw her searching for something on the floor. Most likely some sort of rock to throw at her. Hinata didn't wait too find out and ducked. From the distance, she could see a car coming. It quickly entered the clearing, the bright headlights causing her to turn away. Adjusting her vision, she saw Sasuke get off the car, and another man she didn't recognize.

"Karin!" Hinata had never been happier to hear his stern voice.

"Sa-Sasuke."

"Was I on time to ruin your plans?"

"Suigetsu you bastard."

"Karin, I'm taking you home."

Suigetsu walked towards her and crouched down. "You okay?"

Hinata watched Sasuke follow Karin to his car. She lost focus when Suigetsu's face came into view. Hinata began trembling. What would have happened if they hadn't showed up? What would she have done?"

"Hey calm down." The man grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Stay with her until she snaps out of it, or just drive her home."

"Why do I have to-"

Sasuke gave him a stern look. "Because this wouldn't have happened if you told me about this sooner."

Suigetsu tisked.

Hinata could feel she was losing it. She wanted to reach out to Sasuke and tell him not to leave her but her body didn't respond, and her head was beginning to feel heavy.

"Hey are you okay? Hey!"

* * *

Hinata opened her eyes, the familiar color of the ceiling reassuring her she was in a safe place.

Why? Whenever she took care of one mess, another one came crushing onto her. Why?

She got up to check herself in the mirror. There was a small scratch on her cheek and it was beginning to bruise. She wanted to stay cooped up in her room, but knew she would have to face it eventually. She took a long hot shower to distress and calm her nerves. Her father always told her she needed to learn to control them. She thought she had, but lately things were falling one after another and she couldn't keep up.

"Good morning." Sakura handed her a cup of tea. "Are you alright?" She glanced at the cut on her cheek. "Well, besides-"

"I'm okay." Hinata leaned on the counter.

Sakura joined her. "You passed out and Suigetsu, the guy that was with Sasuke, brought you home and told us what happened. Suigetsu is friends with Karin and he said they didn't know we had a fourth person living here. We never brought you up when we went on our double dates because Sasuke would always divert the conversation. She has trust issues, so I guess Sasuke did it to save himself the trouble of having Karin on his tail.

"We work in the same hospital." That explains why she kept throwing insults under the table. "If I had known you two crossed paths, I would have told her to back off."

"I helped her out last week and brought her home." Hinata closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, I forgot to mention it."

"Here I am, cursing out Karin in my mind and making myself a hypocrite. What she did is no different than what I did to you."

"You didn't get violent."

Sakura got up. "Will you be placing charges?"

"I…" Karin was the least of her worries. "If she bothers me again, I will. For now, I just want to leave things as they are." Hinata finished her tea and placed it in the dish washer. "You want to go shopping with me?"

"That's rare?"

Hinata tried not to yawn; it would make her cheek sting more. "The students voted for me to be a chaperone for prom and I won't have time during the week to look for one."

Sakura smiled at her. "I don't know how you do it. If I were you I would be marching up to her even if we both ended up in jail."

"You just have to think of the positive things."

* * *

Hinata walked around in her high heels before sitting down to put on her flats. "I'll change them out when I get to the hotel."

"I still can't believe you didn't go to your prom."

"I was home schooled before I left and when I got back." Hinata felt like a disgrace to woman kind for being unable to wear any heel above an inch. "There was no prom to go to."

"I still don't understand why you didn't finish your senior year here; there were only two months left."

"Okay." She smooth out her dress. "How do I look?"

"You look too pretty to be going alone." Sakura fixed the pin on Hinata's hair.

"I will be meeting some teachers at school and we will take the AP's car to and from the events." Shizune, the AP, warned them there wouldn't be enough parking space and they should all carpool.

Naruto and Sasuke entered the living room. "What time will you be arriving home?"

Somewhere along the way, Naruto and Sakura had taken upon themselves to act like her parents. "Around seven or eight in the morning."

"What? Why so late? Early? You know what I mean."

"After the prom, I have to go to school and put the students in buses to go to project prom and then go back to school around six in the morning and wait till the students get picked up." She had an energy drink in her purse, just in case she needed it.

"Do you mind if I drive you there." Sasuke had his car keys in hand.

"If you take her how will she get back?"

"It won't interfere with her plans. She can still ride back with the others."

Hinata fidgeted under his stare and unconsciously took a step back. They hadn't crossed paths since the incident, and he most likely wanted to talk about it. Hinata turned to Sakura, who in return shrugged, meaning she would support whatever she decided.

"No, I don't mind. I will call the teachers to let them know."

Sasuke headed outside. Not wanting to keep him waiting, she bid her good byes and grabbed the bag with her change of clothes for the second event.

The sun was setting and it was hitting her straight in the face. She was so stiff; she kept her eyes from the sun's rays by keeping her face towards the window.

"You can bring down the visor."

"Right." Hinata felt silly that she had to be told. "Thank you."

"Karin wants to apologize."

What was she supposed to say? "That's not necessary."

"She wants to apologize in person."

Even if Karin was truly sorry, Hinata couldn't bring herself to readily meet her. What certainty did she have that Karin wouldn't lash out? "I can meet up with her…but I want Sakura to be there."

"If those two meet up, they will be at each other's throats in no time."

That didn't make her feel any better. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try."

"Can you do it tomorrow?"

She knew he didn't like putting things of, but she would be dead tiered. Had he no sympathy? Nonetheless, she agreed. If she took care of things right now she could have Sunday for herself and could be a happy sloth all day.

* * *

She wasn't but seven years older than these kids, and they were bursting with energy while she was trying to conserve hers. Some were even talking about going to lake houses to party and some where heading on a weekend road trip. Hinata could barely finish her trip to the front of the school.

Once inside Shizunes car, Hinata took the energy shot. It was a distasteful combination of sweet, bitter and sour. She would see some students drink it religiously; surely it had become an addiction because there was no way someone would drink that for its taste.

"Getting a quick charge I see, you have other plans?"

"Yes."

Shizune pulled up in the driveway. "Afterwards, make sure you get plenty of rest, finals week starts on Monday and you are going to need all the energy to handle those eager beavers."

"I will." Hinata thanked her and rushed inside so she could have time to shower. The energy shot was taking effect and she once again felt pumped up. She didn't condone of such tactics, but she made a necessary exception this time.

Sasuke told her that Karin would be waiting at the ice ream shop that was near the mall. It was a busy street, so if anything were to happen, she could get help.

"_If she starts heating up, put some ice on her head."_

Sasuke had a cruel sense of Humor; nonetheless Hinata found herself smiling as she entered the little shop. She spotted Karin in the table that was furthest from civilization. She looked detached from reality as she picked on her ice-cream.

"Good afternoon."

Karin didn't bother to look up. "Whatever."

Hinata busied herself by looking at the menu one, twice, even three times. Should she start a conversation or let Karin do it? She wasn't sure what was supposed to happen and Karin didn't look like she wanted to apologize. It was more like she had been forced into it. But they were there, and Hinata decided to make this time useful.

"Karin…"

"Sasuke and I are no longer together." Karin looked at her. "I didn't want to blame myself for it, so I pinned it on you."

"Was it because you heard Mrs. Mori's story?" Karin looked confused. "I know you work with Sakura surely you heard the rumors.

"No, I'm not stupid. Whenever she talked about it, I got the general idea, but I could tell she was a conniving bitch. I guess it takes one to know one. Then I go and meet you, and I was certain she was stretching the truth. You don't look like you have the guts to knowingly do something like that."

"Then why-"

"Why do I hate you?" Hinata nodded and Karin scowled. "I'm not telling you. I don't want to give you any ideas."

They sat in silence, listening to the bustling of the shop. A child cried when his mom refused to put more sprinkles on his already overflowing ice cream cup, sand another one refused to share with his little sister and pouted when his father took it away.

Hinata smiled to herself. Children were a handful, but they would distract any one with their childish antics, and you momentarily forgot your problems and focus on theirs. They seem so minimal and seem to be easily fixed, and you couldn't help but wonder if maybe your problems were as insignificant as theirs.

"I will get him back." Karin pointed her spoon at her. "I will wait a while and then try to get him back."

"Is that a good idea?" Hinata looked at the child that was dancing around her mother, she had been able to get two scoops. "I mean…" she hesitated, but gathered the courage to look at Karin. "You were insecure about your relationship with him before, what will be different the second time around?"

She didn't know either of them on a personal level, but unlike Sakura and Naruto's relationship, she could tell the affection wasn't mutual.

"I see what you are doing; you want me out of the way so you can have him."

"I didn't say that. I just want you to think clearly."

"If you don't want him, then shouldn't you be encouraging me? What kind of pep talk is that?"

"It is reality. If you had met me five years ago, I would be cheering you on. And you know, maybe you can get back together with him, but reflect long and hard and ask yourself if you like him or if you are doing it to prove someone else wrong. There is no shame in having that urge, but you have to understand that when it comes to relationships, you are dragging someone else with you." She could tell Karin was getting irritated. It was impossible not to get frustrated with a person who didn't try to see things your way. "You can slap any woman that can end up with him, but it won't change anything."

"Oh wait I know what comes next." Karin cleared her throat and mustered her sweetest voice. "You'll get over it I promise."

Hinata clutched her purse. "No Karin, you never get over it. You can stand in front of the mirror for hours trying to convince yourself, but the damage is done and you will carry it forever. Something or someone will remind you. We can learn from it, but never get over it. But it becomes pitiful if you don't get anything out of it, it means that you have completely wasted your time and energy. It doesn't just hold true for romantic relationships, it applies to everything we did and will end up doing."

Hinata caught Karin staring at the couple in opposite corner. "How happy do you think you will be if you manage to get back with him?"

"Shut up," Karin covered her face. "Just. Shut up."

Hinata didn't want to look at her in fear that she too would start crying. She got Karin's ice cream cup and threw it away. "Is somebody going to pick you up?"

"Suigetsu." It was muffled, but she understood. "He will be here in half an hour.

"I'll wait with you." She wondered if Sasuke knew how things would turn out, and purposefully set their meeting place where buckets of ice cream were within reach. He really had a cruel sense of humor. "I'm going to buy some ice cream, what is your favorite flavor?"

Karin lowered her hands and glanced at the trash can. "I'm asking for your favorite, not his."

"Cherry." She grabbed a napkin and wiped her eyes before putting on her glasses. "Since you are paying, I want extra sprinkles."

By the time Suigetsu came, Karin had managed to calm down and was her eccentric self again.

"Suigetsu you're late!"

He cringed "I have a life you know! Stupid Sasuke, I don't know why I put up with you all." He spotted Hinata and walked over to her with his hand outstretched. "You owe me for the other night. You fainted and I had to drive you home then had to pay for a taxi to pick me up."

Karin grabbed Suigetsu and dragged him to the car, forcing him to get in. "By the way, she doesn't know you are roaming in this area, so watch yourself."

"Thank you."

Karin pushed up her glasses with pride. "I hate you, and I am sure in the future I will hate you even more." She handed Hinata a pen. "I took this from his room." Hinata didn't know what to say. "Seriously, what if I had taken something more valuable?"

"Yeah like his shirt!"

Karin turned a dark shade of red. "Sh-shut up Suigetsu!" when she got in the car she smacked him on the head and ordered him to drive.

Hinata looked at fancy pen with his name engraved on it, she was sure she had seen the pen somewhere before.

Sasuke's short questioning now made sense and she was still appalled that she had been a suspect.

Aside from a pen and a shirt, Hinata wondered if Karin had taken anything else.

* * *

"Hinata! I bought some cinnamon rolls, you want some?"

Tempting real tempting, but… "May you please put it in the refrigerator? I will eat it after dinner tomorrow." she knew she wasn't going to get out of bed until Sunday afternoon. She tiredly made her way upstairs.

"Okay, I'll make sure Naruto doesn't eat it."

She lay on the bed and groaned. She had forgotten to close the door.

She tried to reach it with her foot, but only managed to knock of her shoe. She didn't have the strength to get up.

She saw Sasuke pass by and tiredly called out to him. She wanted to tell him about the pen and defend her honor, but explaining the whole thing was looking to be a tedious task and her eyelids were closing despite her struggle to keep them open. Sasuke reached for her door to close it and she mumbled a thank you.

That night she dreamed of a group of people with their backs to her. They would whisper to each other and occasionally glance her way. Every time she tried to get close, they would drift away and take a white box with them, leaving her alone in the darkness.


	7. Descry

Ingénue 6

Descry

Hinata turned on her laptop and set in the kitchen table while she searched the refrigerator for food. She had been away on a trip that was supposed to be three days long but ended up turning into two weeks. She didn't mind the traveling, but the constant rush from place to place left her no time to cook herself something. Eating fast food on a daily basis made her tummy queasy.

She found some pasta, sprinkled some cheese on top, reheated it and settled herself on the table to type her report. The pasta was surprisingly good. It seemed Sakura was beginning to control her need to throw in copious amounts of spices.

Sasuke entered the kitchen and Hinata hid her stuffed cheeks behind her monitor, trying to swallow so she could properly greet him.

"Did they accept the conditions?"

Oh no. "mhmm."

"When will it be finalized?"

Hinata forcefully swallowed her bite, her esophagus was burning. She took a sip of water before replying. "Within a week." It came out breathy.

"Hmm, make sure they get it in earlier."

"Yes." She opened a new tab and began the e-mail. "The earliest I can do is three days from now."

"That sounds good. Make sure you fax it to me."

On his way out, he collided with Sakura, who crossed her arms, flipped her hair and walked around him. Sasuke rolled his eyes and left the house.

"Hinata don't eat that."

Startled she dropped the fork but continued chewing the the food that was in her mouth. Sakura walked over to her. "Sasuke told me my cooking sucks."

Hinata was trying to finish her bite. "But this is really good."

"I didn't cook that, Sasuke did." She eyed it with envy. "Yesterday I cooked some rice, fish and vegetables and Sasuke refused to eat it. He said it smelled worse than when we cooked the calamari in class during biology."

Hinata pinched her nose in an attempt to keep the water inside her mouth.

"Hinata! It's not funny!"

That just made it even funnier.

"Now I really won't let you eat it."

"No, wait Sakura!"

* * *

Sundays were supposed to be her days off, but when you worked for and resided with Sasuke Uchiha, those rules didn't apply. The other company told her they had the papers signed but their fax machine was broken. Hinata knew they were lying and she wasn't going to let them make a fool out of her, so she told them she would personally go and pick them up and hung up before they could protest. That should give them a run for their money, she knew they probably didn't even have it signed.

When she arrived they looked like they were out of breath. Hinata thanked her father for teaching her how to keep the lazy people on their toes.

She arrived home and placed the papers on the coffee table, she could hand them to him in the morning. In the next room over, Naruto was also trying to push deadlines. She heard the click of the phone and his frustrated scream.

"Sakura! Tell me, what month is it?"

"June."

"No, it is the end of June. Now tell me, what have we done this whole month?"

"Nothing."

"Exactly. We are letting summer slip through our fingers." Hinata knew he was wiggling his fingers in front of Sakura. "We may be grown-ups, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun."

"You're right. We should go to the amusement park."

She heard Naruto groan. "But I want to go to the beach."

"I haven't worked out."

"That doesn't matter."

"It matters to me."

"The beach"

"Park."

"Beach."

"P.A.R.K Park!"

"B.E.A.C.H Beach!"

"What did you call me?"

Hinata put down her lap top on the coffe table and walked to the kitchen. "Why don't you flip a coin?"

They both thought about it and replied with a decisive No.

"That's' too easy"

"I agree." Naruto walked to the chimney and took out his favorite deck of cards. "How about a game of speed?"

Sakura cracked her knuckles. "You're on." Naruto shuffled the deck and began setting up it up. Sasuke walked in with the countenance of an aggravated old man. Sakura's and Naruto's little argument most likely woke him from his nap. Hinata noticed his forehead was red, most likely from falling asleep on his desk.

"What's going on?"

"Sakura and Naruto are going to play speed to see if we will be going to the beach or amusement park this coming weekend. Personally, I wouldn't mind going to the beach. I haven't gone since the summer of our Senior year."

"If you want water, go to a pool."

"It's not the same." It had been so long ago and the feeling was already fleeting. "Although there are a lot of people, you feel like you are in your own world."

"You ready?"

"I was born ready."

In high school Naruto would always carry around a deck and challenge any free person, and she was never spared. He was the one that though her most of the games she knew.

"I want a rematch!"

"No. I won fair and square. We will go to the amusement park this weekend."

"Dammit, I really wanted to go to the beach."

Hinata silently sympathized with Naruto. She had begun to tell her soul that they would be spending a calm and joyful evening at the beach. Now she had to mentally and physically prepare herself for nonstop ear tickling head screaming rides.

"I won't be going."

There was also that option.

"Why not?" Sakura looked crestfallen. "Come on Sasuke, when was the last time we went out together?"

"It isn't my kind of environment."

"Nothing ever is." She helped Naruto gather his deck.

"Let's decide this the same way. If you lose in speed you will have to go, how bout it?"

Sakura crossed her arms. "Naruto, we never beat him, you'll just waste your time."

Naruto ignored Sakura's warning and set up a new game. "Hinata is going to do it."

"What?" Hinata backed away. "I don't think that's a good idea. We shouldn't force Sasuke into something he doesn't want to do"

Sakura looked amused.

"Come on Hinata. Do it for your boss." Naruto put an arm around Sasuke and pointed at his face. "Look at this grouch; he looks like he hasn't had fun in ages."

"Get off."

Naruto let him go and grabbed Hinata by the shoulders, pushing her to the other side of the counter. "Just give it a shot. Sakura and I both know luck is never on our side when we are up against him. Maybe you can be our secret weapon."

"Whatever." Sasuke headed for the door, but Sakura blocked his way. "Just go with it. If you do it, I'll pay your gas expenses for the week."

Sasuke thought about it. "Naruto has to pay for week after that."

"Deal!" Naruto didn't even think about it.

Sasuke grabbed his cards and arranged them.

Hinata was hesitant but the hope in Sakura and Naruto's eyes fired up her spirit. She was now determined to make every penny count. She picked up her cards and signaled Sasuke.

Due to Hinata's ability to keep up and maintain focus, they went through the deck in a matter of seconds. She had one last card and she quickly put it down. She felt Sasuke's knuckles bump into hers and she didn't let her card go. She slowly shifted her wrist, her fingers grazed past Sasuke's as she tried to see the position of the cards.

"Dammit! Sasuke placed first."

"Come on Hinata you can do it."

She glanced at Sasuke's last card and bit her lip. He knew the card she had, and she was afraid that he had the card she needed. Naruto was tightly grasping the edge of the counter and Sakura kept fidgeting with her fingers.

Hinata nodded. "Okay."

She saw Sasuke flip the number she needed and swiftly put hers down.

"Speed!" she lifter her hands, and was panting. She had won.

Sasuke put his card on top of hers. So it was he who was at a greater risk of loosing.

"Ahh!" Sakura and Naruto rushed to hug her.

"Take that Sauke!"

"So it's decided, we are all, going to the park." Naruto turned to Sasuke and pointed at everyone individually, "All. Of. Us."

* * *

"Do we have everything?"

"Our ice maker is broken so we need to stop by the store. Other than that everything is all set." Hinata dragged the cooler outside and handed it too Sasuke.

"Hinata there is a call for you!" Hinata rushed inside to get the phone from Sakura.

"The guy says it's important."

Hinata took the phone. "Yes, this is Hinata speaking" Sakura asked her what was wrong and Hinata leaned next to her so she could hear.

Hinata recognized the voice; it was the man whose husky she had found.

"I appreciate it, but there is no need to give me a reward…no really there is no need." Hinata felt terrible putting him down, but she really didn't need a reward. Besides, it happened months ago. But the guy kept insisting. "Okay, but I can't meet with you today."

He stated that it had to be today because he would be leaving in a couple of hours. Hinata gave Sakura a confused look, so Sakura took matters into her hands. "We will be going to the amusement park on the east side. We will wait in the front of the gate until ten thirty, if you don't see her, then you missed her."

Hinata was surprised how quickly he agreed and hung up. "I have never heard anyone so desperate to reward somebody for finding their puppy."

Hinata looked at the phone, "Me neither."

"Anyway, we will be arriving before the park opens, so he has no reason to miss you."

Sasuke warned Sakura and Naruto that if he heard the minimalist of arguments, he would turn the car around. They agreed to keep quiet, but halfway there they looked extremely miserable. Sakura braided and un-braided pieces of her hair and would sometimes grab a strand of Hinata's. Hinata didn't mind and continued to read the book she had brought along. Naruto would let out a sigh every five minutes without fail.

Hinata looked around the car and came to the conclusion that they all looked like children that had just been scolded by their father. Sasuke had only said they couldn't argue, he never mentioned anything about talking, but apparently Naruto and Sakura didn't want to take any chances. She looked at Sasuke's reflection on the mirror and could tell that he was real close to shoving something in Naruto's mouth. Hinata hid her face behind the book before Sasuke caught her looking.

Naruto was the first one out of the car. "That was torturous!"

Sakura groggily got out of the car. "I feel exhausted"

"Then let's go home."

"As If! Just for that, I'm going to make your trip to this park miserable."

"I already feel it."

They walked to the entrance and sat under a tree. The park wouldn't open until another fifteen minutes. Naruto wanted to go feed the ducks on the pond and convinced Sakura to go with him. Hinata and Sasuke stood under a tree for shade. Hinata began to draw invisible circles on the pavement, which ended up as hearts. She felt childish for doing that and stopped.

A cool breeze made her wish she was at beach. She would try to convince Sakura if they could go next month.

"I ate some of the pasta you made…I liked it."

"It's just pasta."

And that was the end of that. Hinata adjusted her watch and checked the time. She searched the area, but couldn't locate the man's familiar face. Maybe he had given up and decided it would be too much trouble to meet a stranger at a park.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

"Not quite." She reached inside her bag for something to occupy her mouth and offered one to Sasuke. "It's just a mint."

He took it and it made Hinata strangely happy. "Why don't you like sweet things?"

"Why do you like them so much?"

Good point. Hinata smiled at the silliness of the question. "It's a nice feeling. It makes me feel like I'm at home."

"I get thirsty." He threw away his wrapper on the nearby trash can. " I end up drinking more water than the food itself. It leaves me feeling like a balloon."

The mental image of a stern faced Sasuke water balloon made Hinata laugh uncontrollably, some of the passerby's turned to look at her questioningly.

"What are you thinking?"

Hinata wiped a tear that had formed in the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry." Recently it was getting harder to take him serious. There were many occasion where he would unconsciously resemble a child, and she would get the urge to help him. Sometimes she gathered enough courage, but most of the time it just fumbled and she would continue without altering her routine.

"They're coming."

They detached themselves from the tree to meet up with them, but Hinata was held back. Someone had placed their hands over her eyes and she could feel she was being presses into someone's chest. She reached up in an attempt to take the hands away from her eyes, but the person leaned into her ear.

"If you cry every day, your eyes will turn into water falls."

Hinata's heart beat increased at the familiar phrase, "Ki-Kiba?" She brought down the man's hands and turned to face him. "Kiba!"

He grabbed her in a tight hug and spun her around before putting her down. "Hey how have you been?"

"I…I have…" She hugged him again. "I can't believe it's you. How many years has it been?" she pulled away too count her fingers. "8 years Kiba." She covered her mouth in shock. She couldn't believe he was in front of her.

"Yeah, it's been too long. I wasn't sure if it was you at first, but I recognized that playful laughter of yours ." He leaned close to her. "Not to mention you still wear the same fruity body spray."

There were so many things she wanted to ask him but she couldn't stop smiling.

"Hinata, who is this?"

Hinata tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. "This is Kiba, a childhood friend of mine. Kiba, this is Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke."

"Nice to meet you." Sakura held out her hand and Kiba took it.

"I was told you helped her out a lot when she first moved to this area. Thank you for helping her. She can be a hopeless cause sometimes."

Naruto eyes him suspiciously. "How did you know she was here?"

"I found out through my brother in law. I came to visit them for the summer and he brought up the husky incident. I wasn't sure if it was the same Hinata or not, but I thought it couldn't hurt to try." He turned to look at her. "I wanted to surprise you, so I asked him to set up meeting. If I told you it was me, I knew you would have canceled any plans you had just too meet me."

He was right, she would have canceled in a heartbeat, and she knew Sakura and Naruto would have let her.

Kiba took out a piece of paper form his pocket. "I already bought a ticket if you don't mind me joining"

Naruto looked from Hinata to Kiba. "A friend of Hinata's is a friend of ours. Right guys?"

"Yeah." Sakura handed Hinata her ticket. "Come on, if we don't hurry we won't get to go to all the rides."

Hinata and Kiba walked a few steps behind them. "Where are Akamaru and Shino?"

"Well since no pets are allowed, I had to leave Akamaru behind. Shino didn't come with me, saying something about family matters should stay with family so on and so on, so I left him mopping on his own."

"Have you gone back to our home town?"

"No. There is nothing for me to do there, so I don't go."

Sakura and the others got in line for the first ride, and Hinata told them she wouldn't be riding it. "I'll go on the next one, I promise."

"Before my grandfather passed away, he told me Hiashi kicked you out of the estate. Have you tried going back?"

"No. I tried calling them, but it seems they changed their phone number. I have no way of reaching them and I don't know if they still live there or moved." She was strangely content with it, it gave her the perfect excuse to stay away from the place. "I have been living with Naruto and the others, but I think I will move out by the end of the year. They are kind people, but I feel like I impose on them a lot."

"I would tell you to come live with us, but there aren't many jobs available."

Hinata livened up. "I have a good job here, so I have too stay within range." She had Sasuke to thank for that. "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning." He made an annoyed face. "I wish that good for nothing would have said something sooner."

Hinata was startled at the idea of passing up the chance to meet Kiba again. Her thoughts were cut short when Kiba bonked her on the head. "If you wouldn't have agreed to a meeting place, I would have cut in and told you it was me. So stop thinking stupid stuff and let's have fun.

"Yeah."

"Alright! wasn't that fun Sasuke?"

Kiba handed Sakura his phone. "Can you take a picture of us?"

Kiba grabbed Hinata and made her pose for the picture, their cheeks almost touching. "Thanks."

He sent the picture and within a few second his phone was ringing. "I think you should answer it."

Hianta took the phone. "Hello?"

"_Why are you both having fun without me? Aren't friend supposed to be together in the good and bad times?"_

"Shino?"

"_So you don't recognize my voice?"_

Hinata laughed. "How can I forget your peculiar way of talking?"

"_Kiba never told me he was going to meet up with you. He said he was going to visit his family. He didn't say anything about our family."_

"He didn't know." Hinata listened as Shino grumbled something about always being left behind and how he would always try his best but nobody ever paid attention.

_"Hinata. Are you listening or are you staring of into space?"_

"I'm sorry Shino. I'm just really happy I was able to talk to you." The phone was taken from her hands.

"Oy Shino, we are about to get on a ride without you. I'll call you later to tell you all about it." Kiba hung up and turned it off. "He will start calling nonstop. That's what he gets for being too lazy to come with me." He handed her his phone. "Mind holding this for me?"

"Sure." She placed it in a safe place in her purse.

"Alright! We're next!"

They crossed the line but the guy in charge stopped Kiba from going in. "This cart is full; you will have to wait for the next one."

"Kiba."

Hinata was going to go back and tell the guy that she would wait for the next one, but Sasuke grabbed her and told her to get on. "He's not going anywhere."

He was right; it was only for one ride. She turned back too look at Kiba, who smiled at her reassuringly. Hinata sighed and faced forward. The loud clicking of the cart counted down the fall.

When Kiba was out he laughed at Hinata's messy hair. "Here, give me your tie."

He tied her hair. When they were on their way to the next ride, she caught the reflection of the floppy bun Kiba made and let out a giggle. It looked like the one his sister would make him do for the dogs with overgrown hair when he helped out at the animal shelter.

They decided to take an early break and left the park to get their lunch. Hinata assured Kiba there was enough food and it would be a shame if he had to buy the expensive food inside the park. Since the park didn't allow outside food, they had to go to an open field and were lucky enough to find a tree with plenty of shade.

"So how did you two meet? Hinata told me she was home schooled most of her life?"

"Our other friend, Shino, introduced us. Back in our home town her family is the wealthiest, with Shino's family coming in second. Her family is rather stuck up so they would only let the aburame affiliate with them, so I suppose that's how they met."

"There was this big land covered in greenery that separated our estate from one another. I was curious to see what was on the other side and Shino found me snooping around. I was around four years old."

"We played in that land at night when her father didn't have her cooped up in the house. But it wasn't very fun because she would always cry when her hair got snagged on the branches, but she would cut it so the incidents were less frequent."

"My dad found out that I would sneak out to play and we came to an agreement that as long as I got perfect scores, he would allow me to hang out with them."

"Not to mention he had her cousin Neji always on her trail. He was a very sour guy, but he eventually softened up. Can't say the same for her other relatives."

Hinata reached over to take a leaf from Kiba's shoulder.

"We were her only friends. There weren't many kids our age in the area and most of them were girls. We didn't affiliate ourselves with them because they were annoying as hell, but we felt bad for Hinata and encouraged her to try and make new friends. But they were all jealous of her because they said her father treated her like a princess and would take her places and give her everything she wanted. Not even close to the truth."

"That's one of the reasons my father sent me to study at a public school. He noticed I was going nowhere being isolated inside the house. He searched for a school far away from the area and sent me too live alone with a small budget I had to control. I believe his efforts to build up my character would have been wasted if it hadn't been for you guys."

Sakura hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry I was so mean!"

"Yeah, on the few occasions she came home, she would talk about you guys. They were all positive comments, so Shino and I stopped worrying."

"Winter of my junior year was the last time I saw the three of them. Neji went of to college. Kiba and his family moved and Shino, well I really don't know. All I was told is that he had left with his father and they refused to tell me how to communicate with him because my family and the Aburame had gotten into a disagreement."

Kiba eyed them. "I bet you never took the time to get to know her well. She was only with you all for four years."

"Six." Sakura corrected. "She's been living with us for two years now. So it is six"

Kiba looked offended by this. "Whoa, she only puts up with you all because she has too."

"K-Kiba, that's not true."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Naruto looked ready to pounce on him.

"Please stop."

"I know how to settle this," Sakura cleared her throat. "We ask each other a topic and Hinata will tell us if we answer right. As a woman you are insulting my intuitions and I can't allow that. If you win we will let you take Hinata for the rest of the day."

"Okay"

"Hinata ask away."

"I don't know what too ask."

"Sakura took charge. "I'll ask the questions, and Hinata approves if it is correct. Naruto! I know you know as much as I do if not more, don't hesitate." She looked over at Sasuke. "If you know the answer you better say it Sasuke or so help me god."

She placed her phone in the middle. "If you have the phone you get to answer."

"Prepare to lose."

The questions were simple and it made Hinata feel extremely uncomfortable, but even Kiba didn't let her retreat. Naruto and Kiba were neck to neck and Hinata wished they would just stop, but her worries subsided when she saw that they were beginning to look like they were bonding. Except for Sasuke, he looked extremely upset.

"Okay. Time for the tie breaker. It is a fairly simple question. What is the animal that freaks out Hinata the most?"

Naruto was the first one to reach the phone. "Roaches!…oh wait that's Sakura."

Kiba laughed mockingly and grabbed the phone. "Thanks to Shino, she isn't afraid of creepy crawlies."

"Alright wise guy, what's the answer."

"There is none."

They all turned to her. "Is that true?"

"Um, actually.."

She watched Sasuke pull the phone from Kiba's hand.

"Hey what gives?"

"Frogs." Sasuke looked at Hinata. "She's hates frogs."

Sakura turned to Hinata and questioned her if that was true. Out of all things from Roaches to lcrows, she loathed a poor innocent amphibian. "Yes, that's right."

Naruto shook Sasuke, his drink spilling on the floor. "Alright Sasuke!"

"How the hell do you know that? Hinata you gave this guy the point because you felt bad for him. Come on tell him."

Sasuke got up to avoid the drink getting on his pants. "When she takes out the trash at night she always checks the area, and if there is a frog within range, she leaves the trash beside the door and constantly checks if the frog has left."

Kiba and Naruto started laughing and Sakura turned around to hide her giggling. Hinata wanted to hide under the blanket "W-we should go. The people are taking lunch brakes, so the lines should be shorter."

"Frogs." Kiba was still mocking her. "I'm definitely going to tell Shino about this."

"Now that you mentioned it, whenever Naruto brought his pet frogs, she would refuse to carry them." Sakura shook her head. How could she have missed that?

They were inside the park and Hinata hid her blush with her hand. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She didn't like the way they would stare at you. No matter how close you got they wouldn't even flinch to move out of the way. Especially during the humid seasons where they would lounge about behind your car tire and you either had to have the guts to run them over, or find a stick long enough to poke them out of the way. The young ones were the worst. They thought you wanted to play with them and would jump behind you following every step until you ran inside your home. Urgh, frogs.

It was getting late and she was exhausted. Naruto Kiba and Sakura wanted to go on one last ride. It was the biggest one in the park and they didn't want to leave without riding it.

"I'll have to skip out on this one."

"Then I'll wait here with you."

"I know you want to ride that one." She smiled reassuringly. "You already spent the whole day with me, don't worry."

Kiba hesitated and walked away, but jogged back to hand her a five dollar bill. "Buy yourself some cotton candy."

Hinata nodded. He would always tell her to grow up, but ended up treating her like a child himself. She didn't blame him, it had been years since they last saw each other and it was hard to believe that they were already in their mid-twenties.

Sasuke took a seat beside her and rested his head on the wall. She excused herself and went to buy a bottle of water and the cotton candy, otherwise Kiba would get mad at her.

"Here you go." Sasuke opened his eyes and eyed the bottle and the small pill wrapped in plastic. "If your headache increases, the drive back home will be tedious, unless you are going to let Naruto or Sakura drive?"

He took the bottle of water. "Why don't you drive?" He sounded tiered.

"Me? Well since it's your car I don't think you would-"

"Forget it." He put the bottle on the floor and hung his head.

Hinata unwrapped the cotton candy and debated whether she should offer some to Sasuke. It would be rude to offer him some since she knew he preferred to stay away from sweets, but it would also be rude if she didn't offer him any. She couldn't tear a piece until her inner turmoil settled.

"I don't want any." He picked up his head, and told her something, but the rumbling of the roller coaster didn't let her hear the last part.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

She looked up and spotted Kiba looking at them. He made a phone sign and acted like he was punching in numbers. Hinata shrugged in confusion.

"He wants you to give him your number."

"Oh" she grabbed Kiba's phone and turned it on. On the screen were him and Akamaru, she pushed away the wave of nostalgia trying to wash over her. She slid her finger over the screen and signaled Kiba that it was locked. He began giving her the code, it was no surprise he had Akamaru's and his birthday as the pass-code. She held the phones side by side and recorded the numbers. Afterwards she took the liberty of emailing herself the picture they had taken earlier that day. She gave him a thumbs up to signal that she was finished.

She went through her contacts and was alarmed that aside from Kiba's number, she only had Sasuke's number under the work tab. The contacts on the phone Karin dropped were not saved, and she would have to ask Sakura and Naruto for their numbers again.

There was a clown throwing confetti and a big wave came their way. She covered her head with her purse and was able to get rid of the confetti rather quickly, Sasuke passed his fingers through his hair but missed a bright pink confetti.

"You have one right here." Hinata pointed at her own head to show him where it was, but he kept missing. "A little more to your left."

Sasuke and Hinata turned to look at the little girl that was intrigued by their monkey see monkey do game. "Why don't you just take it off?"

"Um, well…"

"Here." Sasuke brought his head down toward the little girl. "You take it off."

Hinata was oddly disappointed; she kind of wanted the chance to touch his hair. Hinata shoved a piece of cotton candy in her mouth to swallow that random thought.

The little girl skipped towards her mother. "Mommy, mommy, that girl is a terrible girlfriend, she didn't help her boyfriend."

"That's nice sweetie, but it's rude to point"

Hinata took another piece of cotton candy.

"We should go meet them at the exit."

"Okay."

They walked to the gates and Hinata handed Kiba his phone. "I guess this is good bye." He hugged her and Hinata grabbed onto him tighter. "You take care of yourself. Don't let anybody push you around."

Hinata nodded. "You either."

She pulled away and he pinched her nose before walking off in the other direction.

"I'm kind of jealous." Sakura wrapped an arm around hers and led her away. "You two have such a good relationship, even after years of not seeing each other."

"You three share the same kind of relationship."

"Yeah, but not with you. You showed a different side of yourself today, a side we haven't seen."

Hinata was confused. "Don't be alarmed, I'm not saying it was a bad thing. It's just, you are never this happy when you are with us."

When they arrived to the car, Naruto asked her if she could go in the front, he was tiered and the back provided a more suitable sleeping place. Hinata got the message; he wanted to lean on Sakura's shoulder.

Hinata was nodding off but rubbed her eyes and faced forward. She didn't want Sasuke to be the only one awake, he was tiered too and it wouldn't be fair if they were all asleep.

She wanted to ask him something about work, but her purse vibrated and she opened the video message. It was Akamaru, he was barking hello to her, and the video ended with him licking the screen.

"That's a big dog."

"I remember being able to carry him in my arms and sneak him into my house. He was a very good actor and would sit on my shelf like a stuffed animal. Now he looks like he can't even fit through a window."

Hinata gave a sigh. It all felt so bittersweet.

She looked at Sasuke and oddly enough spotted another piece of shiny confetti. He didn't mind when the little girl took it off, maybe he wouldn't mind if she tried. Hinata bit her lip and slowly reached to grab it.

"Hn."

"I'm so sorry."

Hinata wanted to hit her head on the window. She had reached for it but when she grazed him, she startled him and he had turned his head, causing her to poke his eye. Luckily they were at a stop sign.

"Sorry." She placed her hands in her lap.

She wasn't going to try that again.


End file.
